P. Knowlesi Trial of Artemether-lumefantrine vs Chloroquine
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Preliminary studies have supported the background efficacy of local standard anti-malarial
medications in the treatment of uncomplicated knowlesi malaria, however there are no current
WHO treatment guidelines for this infection. There are both health cost benefits to a more
rapidly acting agent, and due to difficulties with microscopic identification there may be
more effective treatment for all malaria species if an aligned treatment guideline could be
supported. We are currently conducting a separate RCT using a similar protocol evaluating
artesunate-mefloquine versus chloroquine for uncomplicated P. knowlesi malaria. However
artemether-lumefantrine should also be compared against chloroquine due to the fact it is
also a first line anti-malarial recommended in Malaysia, and there are potential differences
in efficacy due to the different administration, absorption and half-life of
artemether-lumefantrine.
The investigators aim to test whether the fixed combination of artesunate-mefloquine is
superior to chloroquine in order to define the optimal treatment for both uncomplicated P.
knowlesi infection in both adults and children in this region.