E-DRUG: Information note on delayed haemolytic anaemia following treatment with artesunate
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Information note on delayed haemolytic anaemia following treatment with
artesunate (WHO)
October 2013
Authors:
World Health Organization
Publication details
Number of pages: 2
Publication date: 2013
Languages: English, French
Introduction
Injectable artesunate is a life‐saving therapy for patients with severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria, providing a substantial reduction of mortality. In the two largest randomized controlled trials conducted in patients with severe malaria, parenteral artesunate treatment reduced deaths by 34.7% (in the Asian SEAQUAMAT trial) and by 22.5% (in the African AQUAMAT trial) compared with parenteral quinine.1,2 WHO currently recommends artesunate (intravenous or intramuscular) as the first line treatment for the initial management of severe malaria.3
A number of cases of delayed haemolytic anaemia have been identified following treatment of severe malaria with injectable artesunate. The Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), in March 2013, convened a meeting of experts to review the available evidence on delayed haemolytic anaemia following treatment with injectable artesunate.
The full report of the MMV convened expert meeting is available on the MMV webpage (http://www.mmv.org/newsroom/events/expert-group-meeting- safety-profile-injectable-artesunate).
This information note reflects the current WHO position based on the outcome of the review meeting and consultation with the Co-Chairs of the GMP Technical Expert Group on Malaria Chemotherapy.
Downloads
* Information note on delayed haemolytic anaemia following treatment with
artesunatepdf, 336kb
<http://www.who.int/entity/malaria/publications/atoz/who_note_delayed_haemo
lytic_anaemia_oct13.pdf>
<http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/who_note_haemolytic_anaemia/
en/index.html#>
Carinne Bruneton <c.bruneton@remed.org>