Therapeutic efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh faces increasing levels of chloroquine resistance, and drug sensitivity to sulfadoxine-pyremethamine is already compromised. Therefore, the Ministry of Health recently changed the national treatment guidelines to artemisinin-based combination therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine the baseline therapeutic efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine used as a six-dose regimen for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Sixty-seven patients were enrolled in the study; the cure rate in a 42-day follow-up after an adjustment by polymerase chain reaction was 94.3%. The treatment led to rapid fever (mean +/- SD = 25.82 +/- 12.14 hours) and parasite (30.36 +/- 19.43 hours) clearance. These data suggest that artemether-lumefantrine is a highly efficacious and well-tolerated treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in Bangladesh.
Haque
Rashidul
R
Centre for Health and Population Research, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Thriemer
Kamala
K
Wang
Zhuxi
Z
Sato
Kimi
K
Wagatsuma
Yukiko
Y
Salam
Mohammed Abdus
MA
Akther
Selim
S
Akter
Jasmin
J
Fukuda
Mark
M
Miller
R Scott
RS
Noedl
Harald
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077611:Artemether, Lumefantrine Drug Combination; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005449:Fluorenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects*
D000962:Antimalarials; D000077611:Artemether, Lumefantrine Drug Combination; D037621:Artemisinins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005449:Fluorenes