title: Intermittent preventive antimalarial treatment to children (IPTc): firebreak or fire trap?
abstract: Intermittent preventive treatment is the prescheduled administration of antimalarial drugs to at-risk patients in endemic areas. This approach, which is recommended for pregnant women, is being evaluated in children. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine recently proved to be more protective than artemisinin-containing regimens. Therefore, the use of artemisinin derivatives could potentially be restricted to symptomatic patients. Determinants of three pending issues: safety, efficacy throughout childhood, and effectiveness--the latter depending on the implementation of sustainable delivery mechanisms--are analyzed in this comment.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR S511, Paris, F-75013 France. pierre.buffet@psl.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Pierre A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Buffet
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Briand
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rénia
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thellier
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danis
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazier
mesh_terms: D000655:Amodiaquine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003657:Decision Making; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004351:Drug Resistance; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D000655:Amodiaquine; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D013413:Sulfadoxine; C031327:artemisinin; D011739:Pyrimethamine