Efficacy and Safety of Artemether in Treating Chronic Fascioliasis in Egypt
Author Information
Author(s): Jennifer Keiser, Hanan Sayed, Maged El-Ghanam, Hoda Sabry, Saad Anani, Aly El-Wakeel, Christoph Hatz, Jürg Utzinger, Sayed Seif el-Din, Walaa El-Maadawy, Sanaa Botros
Primary Institution: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
Hypothesis
Can artemether be an effective treatment for chronic fascioliasis?
Conclusion
Artemether shows little to no effect against fascioliasis and is not a substitute for triclabendazole.
Supporting Evidence
- Artemether was administered in two different regimens: 6×80 mg over 3 days and 3×200 mg within 24 hours.
- Cure rates for artemether were 35% for the 6×80 mg regimen and only 6% for the 3×200 mg regimen.
- Triclabendazole showed higher efficacy with cure rates of 69% and 75% for 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg doses, respectively.
- Adverse events were mild and included abdominal pain, fatigue, and headache.
Takeaway
This study tested a medicine called artemether to see if it could help people with a liver infection caused by a parasite. It didn't work well, so another medicine is still needed.
Methodology
Two exploratory phase-2 trials were conducted with 36 Fasciola-infected individuals in Egypt, assessing the efficacy and safety of two artemether regimens.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to non-randomized design and lack of control group.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and was not randomized.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 20 individuals in the first study (10 males, 10 females, aged 5-70 years) and 17 in the second study (10 females, 7 males, aged 5-26 years).
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.048
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.002–1.15
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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