Artemisinin based combination therapy

• Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are recommended by WHO as the first-and second-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria as well as for chloroquine-resistant P. vivax malaria. ACTs combine an artemisinin derivative1 with a partner drug.

Currently artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is recommended for the treatment of P. falciparum malaria. Fast acting artemisinin-based compounds are combined with a drug from a different class. Companion drugs include lumefantrine, mefloquine, amodiaquine, sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, piperaquine and chlorproguanil/dapsone.

How does Artemisinin based combination therapy work?

ACTs combine an artemisinin derivative¹ with a partner drug. The role of the artemisinin compound is to reduce the number of parasites during the first 3 days of treatment (reduction of parasite biomass), while the role of the partner drug is to eliminate the remaining parasites (cure).

What are the various composition of artemisinin based combination on the market?

Fast acting artemisinin – based compounds are combined with a drug from a different class. Companion drugs include lumefantrine, mefloquine, amodiaquine, sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, piperaquine and chlorproguanil/dapsone. Artemisinin derivatives include dihydroartemisinin, artesunate and artemether.

What is artemisinin made from?

Artemisinin is a drug derived from the Asian plant Artemisia annua. This aromatic plant has fern-like leaves and yellow flowers. For more than 2,000 years, it has been used to treat fevers. It’s also an effective treatment for malaria.

What is the first line treatment of malaria?

The most common antimalarial drugs include: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). ACTs are, in many cases, the first line treatment for malaria .

Is artemisinin an antiviral?

In in vitro studies, several groups have reported that artemisinins have antiviral properties. Artemisinins reduce replication rates of hepatitis B and C viruses [91,92], a range of human herpes viruses [93–95], HIV-1 [96], influenza virus A [93,97] and a bovine viral diarrhoea virus [98] in the low micromolar range.

Is Artemisinin safe to take?

* Artemisinin -containing therapies generally are considered safe , effective, and well-tolerated medications for the treatment of malaria caused by P. falciparum with no major side effects (2–4).

What does artemisinin mean?

Artemisinin is an antimalarial lactone derived from qinghao (青蒿, Artemisia annua or sweet wormwood). The medicinal value of this plant has been known to the Chinese for at least 2,000 years. In 1596, Li Shizhen recommended tea made from qinghao specifically to treat malaria symptoms in his Compendium of Materia Medica.

What is the mechanism of action of artemisinin?

Artemisinin is believed to act via a two-step mechanism . Artemisinin is first activated by intraparasitic heme-iron which catalyzes the cleavage of this endoperoxide. A resulting free radical intermediate may then kill the parasite by alkylating and poisoning one or more essential malarial protein(s).

Which is the best malaria drug in Nigeria?

Artesunate Is the Best Choice for the Severe and Complicated Malaria Therapy.

Why is Artemisia banned?

In fact since two thousand years and among thousands of people using the herbal tea against malaria, the phenomena of resistance has never been established. It was also insinuated that Artemisia annua could contain toxic substances, which led in Belgium to a law in 1998 prohibiting the Artemisia annua herbal tea.

What are the side effects of Artemisia?

Side effects of Artemisia absinthium are nausea , vomiting, muscle aches , seizures , kidney failure , insomnia, hallucinations, and tremors .

How long does artemisinin stay in the body?

It is a combination drug of two ingredients, neither of which has been approved in the U.S. One is artemether, a chemical derivative of artemisinin , an extract from the sweet wormwood bush that was used in Chinese medicine as a fever cure for 500 or 600 years. Artemether stays in the body for three days.

Which are the best anti malaria tablets?

When several different drugs are recommended for an area, the following table might help in the decision process. Atovaquone/Proguanil (Malarone) Chloroquine . Doxycycline . Mefloquine . Primaquine . Tafenoquine (ArakodaTM)

Is malaria a lifelong disease?

No, not necessarily. Malaria can be treated. If the right drugs are used, people who have malaria can be cured and all the malaria parasites can be cleared from their body. However, the disease can continue if it is not treated or if it is treated with the wrong drug.

Which antimalarial drug is best?

What are the Different Antimalarial Options? Atovaquone/Proguanil (brand name Malarone ) Doxycycline . Mefloquine (brand name Lariam ) Chloroquine (brand name Avloclor)