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Artemisinin-based combination therapy for ... - The Cochrane Library

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[Intervention Review]<br />

<strong>Artemisinin</strong>-<strong>based</strong> <strong>combination</strong> <strong>therapy</strong> <strong>for</strong> treating<br />

uncomplicated malaria<br />

David Sinclair 1 , Babalwa Zani 2 , Sarah Donegan 1 , Piero Olliaro 3 , Paul Garner 1<br />

1 International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK. 2 South African <strong>Cochrane</strong> Centre, Medical<br />

Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa. 3 Special Programme <strong>for</strong> Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health<br />

Organization, Geneva, Switzerland<br />

Contact address: David Sinclair, International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3<br />

5QA, UK. davesinkers@yahoo.com.<br />

Editorial group: <strong>Cochrane</strong> Infectious Diseases Group.<br />

Publication status and date: Edited (no change to conclusions), published in Issue 4, 2009.<br />

Review content assessed as up-to-date: 25 March 2009.<br />

Citation: Sinclair D, Zani B, Donegan S, Olliaro P, Garner P. <strong>Artemisinin</strong>-<strong>based</strong> <strong>combination</strong> <strong>therapy</strong> <strong>for</strong> treating uncomplicated<br />

malaria. <strong>Cochrane</strong> Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD007483. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007483.pub2.<br />

Copyright © 2009 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cochrane</strong> Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.<br />

Background<br />

A B S T R A C T<br />

<strong>The</strong> World Health Organization recommends uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria is treated using <strong>Artemisinin</strong>-<strong>based</strong> Combination<br />

<strong>The</strong>rapy (ACT). This review aims to assist the decision making of malaria control programmes by providing an overview of the relative<br />

benefits and harms of the available options.<br />

Objectives<br />

To compare the effects of ACTs with other available ACT and non-ACT <strong>combination</strong>s <strong>for</strong> treating uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria.<br />

Search strategy<br />

We searched the <strong>Cochrane</strong> Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register; the <strong>Cochrane</strong> Central Register of Controlled Trials (CEN-<br />

TRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; LILACS, and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) to March 2009.<br />

Selection criteria<br />

Randomized head to head trials of ACTs in uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria.<br />

This review is limited to: dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine; artesunate plus mefloquine; artemether-lumefantrine (six doses); artesunate plus<br />

amodiaquine; artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.<br />

Data collection and analysis<br />

Two authors independently assessed trials <strong>for</strong> eligibility and risk of bias, and extracted data. We analysed primary outcomes in line<br />

with the WHO ’Protocol <strong>for</strong> assessing and monitoring antimalarial drug efficacy’ and compared drugs using risk ratios (RR) and 95%<br />

confidence intervals (CI). Secondary outcomes were effects on P. vivax, gametocytes, haemoglobin, and adverse events.<br />

<strong>Artemisinin</strong>-<strong>based</strong> <strong>combination</strong> <strong>therapy</strong> <strong>for</strong> treating uncomplicated malaria (Review)<br />

Copyright © 2009 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cochrane</strong> Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.<br />

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