Malaria Treatment Failures in Expatriates
Author Information
Author(s): Jackson Yves, Chappuis François, Loutan Louis, Taylor Walter
Primary Institution: Geneva University Hospital
Hypothesis
Could improved manufacturer information help to decrease the risk of treatment failure?
Conclusion
This study shows that drug packaging and their inserts should be improved.
Supporting Evidence
- Sub-therapeutic dosing in accordance with the manufacturers' recommendations was the probable cause of treatment failure.
- A substantial number of manufacturers do not follow current WHO recommendations regarding treatment duration and doses.
- The majority of manufacturers of artemisinin monotherapies recommend five days of treatment instead of the WHO recommended seven days.
Takeaway
Three people got malaria after taking medicine that didn't work well because the instructions were confusing and the doses were too low.
Methodology
Manufacturers' information and drug content included in twenty-five artemisinin-containing specialities were reviewed.
Potential Biases
Local diagnosis of malaria may not always be accurate due to variability in quality of diagnostic procedures.
Limitations
The initial diagnosis could not be ascertained as malaria blood slides were not available for quality control.
Participant Demographics
Three non-immune expatriate workers from Switzerland.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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