title: Assessment of the relative advantage of various artesunate-based combination therapies by a multi-treatment Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis.
abstract: Over the years, multiple articles on Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) were published, highlighting the relative advantages or drawbacks of these combinations. Many studies were comparative. Because none of the studies compare all combinations and methodology varies between studies, there is no homogeneity. A multi-treatment Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis was designed to assess the relative effect of each combination therapy to artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (4 mg/kg/day for 3 days). By far the most attractive result for the variable adequate clinical and parasitological response at day 28 PCR corrected is given by the combination artemether-lumefantrine. Annual follow-up on the data published is intended to reveal the changes in the relative drug efficacy values of ACTs.
authors.affiliation: Fondation ACT-ion Afrique, Bruxelles, Belgium. fh.jansen@actionafrique.org
authors.forename: Frans Herwig
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lesaffre
authors.forename: Louis Kone
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Penali
authors.forename: Maria-Jose Garcia
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zattera
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Die-Kakou
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bissagnene
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077611:Artemether, Lumefantrine Drug Combination; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077332:Artesunate; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005449:Fluorenes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015767:Mefloquine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D000077611:Artemether, Lumefantrine Drug Combination; D037621:Artemisinins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005449:Fluorenes; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D000077332:Artesunate; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D002738:Chloroquine; D015767:Mefloquine; D011739:Pyrimethamine