TDR mourns the passing of Professor Sir Nicholas White, a visionary scientist whose work transformed the global fight against malaria and saved millions of lives. Nick’s long and impactful collaboration with TDR marked a turning point in the development, testing and global adoption of artemisinin‑based combination therapies (ACTs), now the cornerstone of malaria treatment worldwide.
The collaboration between Nick White and TDR on malaria spans nearly two decades. Nick served as a member of the CHEMAL steering committee in the 1990s, which supported discovery and clinical investigations of malaria therapies, including the evaluation of injectable artemether and rectal artesunate. He also led the RAP task force that conducted the clinical trial that unequivocally established the failure of single-agent therapies in Africa and provided the foundational evidence supporting the use of artemisinin-based combination therapy for malaria.
This work informed WHO guidelines and the development and registration of two fixed-combination therapies: artesunate-amodiaquine, which became the second, most-used ACT in the world, and artesunate-mefloquine. His knowledge of malaria and pharmacology was unsurpassed. He was an innovator and was not afraid of challenging dogmas with novel ideas supported by solid science. He had a unique ability to explain complex matters with clarity.
He will be deeply missed. Our heartfelt condolences to his wife, daughters, family and friends.
Read also the statement from St. John’s College at University of Oxford, where Prof. White was a Supernumerary Fellow and Professor of Tropical Medicine.