In vivo efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine against uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Dembia District, northwest Ethiopia
Deressa, Tekalign, Seid, Mengistu Endris, Birhan, Wubet, Aleka, Yetemwork, and Tebeje, Biniam Mathewos (2017) In vivo efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine against uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Dembia District, northwest Ethiopia. Therapeutics & Clinical Risk Management, 13. pp. 201-206.
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Abstract
Background: Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) has been used as a first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Ethiopia since 2004. Antimalarial drug resistance is one of the major obstacles for malaria control and curtails the lifespan of several drugs. Thus, continued monitoring of the efficacy of AL is of great public health importance in malaria endemic areas.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of AL for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in the Dembia district, northwest Ethiopia.
Methods: A prospective study was conducted from April 2015 to February 2016 at Kola Diba Health Center (KHC) in the Dembia district to determine the therapeutic efficacy and safety of AL for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum monoinfection. Patients were treated with the six-dose regimen of AL over 3 days and followed up for 28 days as per the World Health Organization protocol.
Results: Of the total 80 patients enrolled in the AL efficacy study, 75 patients completed the 28 days follow-up. None of the participants reported major adverse events. No early treatment failure or late clinical failure were observed during the study, but there were 6 (8.0%) late parasitological failures. The uncorrected per protocol cure rate of AL was 92.0 (95% CI: 85.7-98.3). Treatment with AL cleared parasitemia and fever in >95% of the patients by day 3.
Conclusion: This study showed that AL is well tolerated and remains efficacious for treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in northwest Ethiopia. However, the observed late parasitological failures in this study are of a concern and warrant continued monitoring of drug efficacy as per the World Health Organization recommendations.
| Item ID: | 50681 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1178-203X |
| Keywords: | artemether-lumefantrine, uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum, Ethiopia, malaria, antimalarial efficacy |
| Additional Information: | This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Sep 2017 11:01 |
| FoR Codes: | 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3207 Medical microbiology > 320704 Medical parasitology @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970111 Expanding Knowledge in the Medical and Health Sciences @ 100% |
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