A pharmaceutical composition comprising a solid solvent-free composition, comprising one or more oxidising components selected from sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium hypochlorite, chlorite or chlorate, artemisinin oxidising component, comprising an anhydrous acid selected from anhydrous citric acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, stearic acid or a mixture of two or more of said acids, wherein said one or more oxidising components are dispersible or soluble in an aqueous liquid medium, and wherein the dispersal or dissolution of said one or more oxidising components in an aqueous liquid medium comprising the anhydrous acid comprised in the solid solvent-free composition, results in the release or generation of a hypochlorite ion or hypochlorous acid, a chlorite ion or chlorous acid, a chlorate ion or chloric acid, molecular or ionic chlorine dioxide within the aqueous liquid medium, wherein said composition comprises comprises an amount of the oxidising component not exceeding about 5% w/w of the total weight of the composition, for absorption through the mouth or buccal cavity of a warm-blooded mammalian subject, wherein said one or more oxidising components are intimately admixed with the anhydrous acid, and characterized in that said pharmaceutical composition is provided as oral dos-age form in a soluble lozenge form for retention in the mouth or buccal cavity by a warm-blooded mammalian subject, for the release of said one or more oxidising components into the aqueous liquid medium comprising the anhydrous acid, by simul-taneous release of said anhydrous acid into salivary contents of the buccal cavity and thereby enable direct systemic absorption of the oxidising component through the mouth or buccal cavity of a warm-blooded mammalian subject, in which the composition comprises a proportion of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate or a combination thereof, which is in excess of about 30% w/w of the total weight of the composition. comprising one or more oxidising components selected from sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium hypochlorite, chlorite or chlorate, artemisinin oxidising component, comprising an anhydrous acid selected from anhydrous citric acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, stearic acid or a mixture of two or more of said acids, wherein said one or more oxidising components are dispersible or soluble in an aqueous liquid medium, and wherein the dispersal or dissolution of said one or more oxidising components in an aqueous liquid medium comprising the anhydrous acid comprised in the solid solvent-free composition, results in the release or generation of a hypochlorite ion or hypochlorous acid, a chlorite ion or chlorous acid, a chlorate ion or chloric acid, molecular or ionic chlorine dioxide within the aqueous liquid medium, wherein said composition comprises comprises an amount of the oxidising component not exceeding about 5% w/w of the total weight of the composition, for absorption through the mouth or buccal cavity of a warm-blooded mammalian subject, wherein said one or more oxidising components are intimately admixed with the anhydrous acid, and characterized in that said pharmaceutical composition is provided as oral dos-age form in a soluble lozenge form for retention in the mouth or buccal cavity by a warm-blooded mammalian subject, for the release of said one or more oxidising components into the aqueous liquid medium comprising the anhydrous acid, by simul-taneous release of said anhydrous acid into salivary contents of the buccal cavity and thereby enable direct systemic absorption of the oxidising component through the mouth or buccal cavity of a warm-blooded mammalian subject, in which the composition comprises a proportion of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate or a combination thereof, which is in excess of about 30% w/w of the total weight of the composition. wherein said one or more oxidising components are dispersible or soluble in an aqueous liquid medium, and wherein the dispersal or dissolution of said one or more oxidising components in an aqueous liquid medium comprising the anhydrous acid comprised in the solid solvent-free composition, results in the release or generation of a hypochlorite ion or hypochlorous acid, a chlorite ion or chlorous acid, a chlorate ion or chloric acid, molecular or ionic chlorine dioxide within the aqueous liquid medium, wherein said composition comprises comprises an amount of the oxidising component not exceeding about 5% w/w of the total weight of the composition, for absorption through the mouth or buccal cavity of a warm-blooded mammalian subject, wherein said one or more oxidising components are intimately admixed with the anhydrous acid, and characterized in that said pharmaceutical composition is provided as oral dos-age form in a soluble lozenge form for retention in the mouth or buccal cavity by a warm-blooded mammalian subject, for the release of said one or more oxidising components into the aqueous liquid medium comprising the anhydrous acid, by simul-taneous release of said anhydrous acid into salivary contents of the buccal cavity and thereby enable direct systemic absorption of the oxidising component through the mouth or buccal cavity of a warm-blooded mammalian subject, in which the composition comprises a proportion of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate or a combination thereof, which is in excess of about 30% w/w of the total weight of the composition.