Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2011 Sep 7:10:256.
doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-10-256.

Treatment of imported severe malaria with artesunate instead of quinine--more evidence needed?

Jakob P Cramer  1 , Rogelio López-Vélez, Gerd D Burchard, Martin P Grobusch, Peter J de Vries
Affiliations
Editorial

Treatment of imported severe malaria with artesunate instead of quinine--more evidence needed?

Jakob P Cramer et al. Malar J. .

Abstract

Rapid and fast acting anti-malarials are essential to treat severe malaria. Quinine has been the only option for parenteral therapy until recently. While current evidence shows that intravenous artesunate is more effective than quinine in treating severe malaria in endemic countries, some questions remain regarding safety profiles and drug resistance. For imported severe malaria, additional unanswered questions are related to generalizability of the findings from endemic countries and to legal aspects, as there is no Good Manufacturing Practice-conform drug available yet. Here, the implications of existing evidence for the treatment of imported severe malaria are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bruneel F, Tubach F, Corne P, Megarbane B, Mira JP, Peytel E, Camus C, Schortgen F, Azoulay E, Cohen Y, Georges H, Meybeck A, Hyvernat H, Trouillet JL, Frenoy E, Nicolet L, Roy C, Durand R, Le Bras J, Wolff M. Severe Imported Malaria in Adults (SIMA) Study Group. Severe imported falciparum malaria: a cohort study in 400 critically ill adults. PLoS One. 2010;5:e13236. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013236. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dondorp A, Nosten F, Stepniewska K, Day N, White N. South East Asian Quinine Artesunate Malaria Trial (SEAQUAMAT) group. Artesunate versus quinine for treatment of severe falciparum malaria: a randomised trial. Lancet. 2005;366:717–725. - PubMed
    1. Dondorp AM, Fanello CI, Hendriksen IC, Gomes E, Seni A, Chhaganlal KD, Bojang K, Olaosebikan R, Anunobi N, Maitland K, Kivaya E, Agbenyega T, Nguah SB, Evans J, Gesase S, Kahabuka C, Mtove G, Nadjm B, Deen J, Mwanga-Amumpaire J, Nansumba M, Karema C, Umulisa N, Uwimana A, Mokuolu OA, Adedoyin OT, Johnson WB, Tshefu AK, Onyamboko MA, Sakulthaew T. et al.Artesunate versus quinine in the treatment of severe falciparum malaria in African children (AQUAMAT): an open-label, randomised trial. Lancet. 2010;376:1647–1657. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61924-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tahar R, Vivas L, Basco L, Thompson E, Ibrahim H, Boyer J, Nepveu F. Indolone-N-oxide derivatives: in vitro activity against fresh clinical isolates of Plasmodium falciparum, stage specificity and in vitro interactions with established antimalarial drugs. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2011. in press . - PubMed
    1. Pukrittayakamee S, Chotivanich K, Chantra A, Clemens R, Looareesuwan S, White NJ. Activities of artesunate and primaquine against asexual- and sexual-stage parasites in falciparum malaria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2004;48:1329–1334. doi: 10.1128/AAC.48.4.1329-1334.2004. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms