Treatment of uncomplicated multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria with artesunate-atovaquone-proguanil

Clin Infect Dis. 2002 Dec 15;35(12):1498-504. doi: 10.1086/344901. Epub 2002 Dec 3.

Abstract

In an open-label trial carried out on the northwest border of Thailand, 1596 patients with uncomplicated multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria were randomly assigned to receive atovaquone-proguanil, atovaquone-proguanil-artesunate, or artesunate-mefloquine and were followed up for 42 days. All 3 regimens were highly effective and well tolerated. Fever duration and parasite clearance times were significantly shorter among patients who received artesunate (P<.001). Polymerase chain reaction genotyping confirmed that recrudescence occurred in 13 patients who received artesunate-mefloquine (2.4%), 5 who received atovaquone-proguanil-artesunate (0.9%), and 15 who received atovaquone-proguanil (2.8%). Adding artesunate to atovaquone-proguanil reduced the risk of failure 3-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-8.2) and subsequent gametocyte carriage 21-fold (95% CI, 14-30). Gastrointestinal complaints in the first 48 h after initiation of treatment were more common among artesunate recipients, but after day 2, dizziness, sleep disturbance, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia were more common among mefloquine recipients (P< or =.014). Artesunate-atovaquone-proguanil is a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment for multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Antimalarials / adverse effects
  • Antimalarials / therapeutic use*
  • Artemisinins / adverse effects
  • Artemisinins / therapeutic use
  • Artesunate
  • Atovaquone
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple / physiology*
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Malaria, Falciparum / drug therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Naphthoquinones / adverse effects
  • Naphthoquinones / therapeutic use
  • Plasmodium falciparum / drug effects
  • Proguanil / adverse effects
  • Proguanil / therapeutic use
  • Sesquiterpenes / adverse effects
  • Sesquiterpenes / therapeutic use
  • Treatment Failure

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Artemisinins
  • Naphthoquinones
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • Artesunate
  • Proguanil
  • Atovaquone