Three scientists who discovered natural-based remedies against parasites that cause malaria and river blindness won the Nobel Prize of Medicine on Monday.<br />The compounds - called artemisinin and ivermectin - are used by millions of people around the world and have saved countless lives.<br />Ivermectin -which now is used to fight pests from bed bugs and lice to serious diseases such as lymphatic filariasis - was derived from naturally occurring bacteria in soil.<br />The winners - from Japan, China and the United States - worked separately to find medicines that were synthesized into powerful and effective drugs.<br />"These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually.<br />The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable," the Nobel committee said.
