William Campbell and a fellow scientist who helped develop the treatment to fight parasites in domestic and farm animals, Satoshi Omura of Japan, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine , the Washington post reports.
The committee announced the names of the winners on Monday.
Chinese researcher Youyou Tu, who shared the prize, discovered a drug known as Artemisinin that has significantly cut death rates from malaria.
"These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually," the Nobel committee noted in a statement.
"The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable."
Campbell's work resulted in a sharp decrease in river blindness, a parasitic infection that caused blindness in millions of people in Africa, Latin America and other poor countries. It also helped reduce the incidence of filariasis, another parasitic disease that can result in elephantiasis.
Tu, 84, discovered artemisinin that has been used by millions against malaria. She is affiliated with the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing.
Omura, 80, of Kitasato University in Tokyo, collected thousands of soil samples to isolate samples that contained promising antibacterial agents. Campbell picked up on Omura's work and developed a compound known as Avermectin, which proved effective at killing off parasites in some animals.
Campbell said that the Nobel news came as "a tremendous shock."
Campbell said that he felt honored to represent a much larger group of researchers, including Omura, whose work led to the breakthrough.
