Comparative efficacy and safety of the artemisinin derivatives compared to quinine for treating severe malaria in children and adults: A systematic update of literature and network meta-analysis

Abstract

Background The artemisinin derivatives are the preferred antimalaria drugs for treating severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, their clinical effectiveness compared to each other is unknown. Our objective, therefore, was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the artemisinin derivatives and quinine for treating severe P. falciparum malaria in children and adults using a network meta-analysis. Methods and findings Review protocol was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020218190. We updated the search strategies of three Cochrane systematic reviews which included published and unpublished randomised control trials (RCTs) that have compared specific artemisinin derivatives to quinine in treating severe malaria. Search included CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, ISI Web of Science and trial registries up to February 2021. We screened studies, extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and quality of evidence in duplicate. Separate network meta-analyses in the frequentist framework, using a random effects model, with quinine as reference, were conducted for adults and children, and rankings were produced using p-scores to assess mortality, parasite clearance, coma recovery, fever clearance, neurological sequela and adverse events. Searches identified 818 citations, 33 RCTs were eligible. We pooled 7795 children and 3182 adults. The networks involved artesunate, artemether, rectal artemisinin, arteether and quinine. Compared to quinine, artesunate reduced mortality in children (risk ratio (RR), 0.76; 95%CI [0.65 to 0.89], moderate quality), adults (RR, 0.55; 95%CI [0.40 to 0.75], moderate quality) and in cerebral malaria (RR, 0.72; 95%CI [0.55 to 0.94], moderate quality). Compared to rectal artemisinin and intramuscular arteether, the efficacy and safety of parenteral artesunate, and intramuscular artemether in treating severe malaria are not clear. Rankings showed that none of the artemisinin drugs were consistently superior in all the outcomes assessed. Indirect evidence produced were of very low ratings due to suspected publication bias and imprecision. Conclusions Artesunate reduces mortality compared to quinine for both adults and children in Asia and Africa including cerebral malaria. The artemisinin derivatives remain the best treatment for severe malaria but their comparative clinical effectiveness is yet to be fully explored.

Analysis of Fifty Years of Severe Malaria Worldwide Research

“…The first thing that emerges is that two types of drugs are at the forefront of research worldwide. These are the artemisinin derivatives and quinine [ 21 ]. Internationally, artemisinin derivatives have been the treatment of choice since their intravenous administration was shown to be more efficacious than intravenous quinine in both pediatric and adult patients [ 22 ].…”

A Systematic Review on Malaria Disease and Its Treatments Focus on Artemether Drug

“…This combination medication is effective against Plasmodium spp. erythrocytic stages and may be used for the treatment of infections caused by P. falciparum and unidentified Plasmodium species, including infections acquired in chloroquine-resistant areas [81][82][83]. • Solubility-Artemether is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents like ethanol, DMSO, and dimethyl formamide (DMF), which must be purged with an inert gas before use.…”

Phase I study on the pharmacokinetics of intravaginal, self-administered artesunate vaginal pessaries among women in Kenya

“…Intravaginal Artesunate for Cervical Precancer Treatment Artesunate (AS), a World Health Organization (WHO) approved malaria drug, is being explored as a potential topical therapy for cervical precancer as its safety and tolerability has long been well established. [2][3][4][5] Growing evidence suggests its cytotoxic effects against numerous cancer cell lines both in vitro and in vivo and have revealed its proposed mechanisms of action include suppressing cell proliferation by inducing G1 and G2M phrase cell cycle arrest and modulation of inflammatory pathways characteristic of uncontrolled proliferation and carcinogenesis. [6][7][8][9] Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death type, is thought to be a key anticancer mechanism for HPV-infected cells.…”