Schistosomiasis artesunate, or mefloquine. A Cochrane review found tentative evidence that when used alone, metrifonate was as effective as praziquantel. Another agent, mefloquine, which has previously been used to treat and prevent malaria, was recognised in 2008–2009 to be effective against "Schistosoma". Historically, antimony potassium tartrate remained the treatment of choice for schistosomiasis until the development of praziquantel in the 1980s. The disease is found in tropical countries in Africa, the Caribbean, eastern South America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. "S. mansoni" is found in parts of South America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East; "S. haematobium" in
Mefloquine of the users reported severe events requiring medical attention, vs 1.2% in the atovaquone-proguanil arm. The brand name drug, Lariam, is manufactured by the Swiss company Hoffmann–La Roche. In August 2009, Roche stopped marketing Lariam in the United States. In June 2010, the first case report appeared of a progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy being successfully treated with mefloquine. Mefloquine can also act against the JC virus. Administration of mefloquine seemed to eliminate the virus from the patient's body and prevented further neurological deterioration. WRAIR has published several papers outlining ongoing efforts at that institution to make mefloquine safer by producing a