title: Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus artesunate compared with chloroquine for the treatment of vivax malaria in areas co-endemic for Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax: a randomised non-inferiority trial in eastern Afghanistan.
abstract: Chloroquine (CQ) is an effective treatment of choice for vivax malaria in most settings, but with the spread of CQ-resistant Plasmodium falciparum, many countries now use artemisinin-based combination therapy for treatment of falciparum malaria. In areas co-endemic for falciparum and vivax malaria incorrect differential diagnosis is always a risk. In Afghanistan the adoption of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus artesunate (SP+AS) as first-line falciparum treatment raises the prospect of a significant proportion of vivax malaria being misdiagnosed and treated with the combination. SP is considered to have limited efficacy against vivax malaria, and the efficacy of SP+AS against Plasmodium vivax has not been established in areas that are using SP+AS. A randomised, non-inferiority trial comparing SP+AS with CQ monotherapy was undertaken on 190 vivax malaria patients in eastern Afghanistan. Standard WHO procedures for in vivo evaluation of antimalarial drugs were followed. A total of 180 individuals completed the trial to day 42. Using a per protocol analysis, both regimens resulted in > or =96% treatment success at 28 d, but significantly more cases failed in the CQ arm (46%) than in the SP+AS arm (24%) by day 42. In areas where vivax infections might be misdiagnosed as falciparum infections and treated with SP+AS, patient management would be as good, or better than, with the standard CQ treatment.
authors: HealthNet TPO, P.O. Box 8011, University Town, Peshawar, Pakistan. k.kolaczinski@malariaconsortium.org
authors: Kate
authors: K
authors: Kolaczinski
authors: Naeem
authors: N
authors: Durrani
authors: Sayed
authors: S
authors: Rahim
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Rowland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000346:Afghanistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077332:Artesunate; D002648:Child; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D000077332:Artesunate; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D002738:Chloroquine; D011739:Pyrimethamine