artesunate + amodiaquine

**Artesunate + amodiaquine** is an oral, fixed-dose artemisinin-based combination therapy containing the artemisinin derivative artesunate and the 4-aminoquinoline antimalarial amodiaquine. It is used primarily for treatment of uncomplicated *Plasmodium falciparum* malaria. Artesunate is rapidly converted to dihydroartemisinin and, after activation by parasite-associated heme iron, generates reactive antiplasmodial intermediates that damage essential parasite biomolecules. Amodiaquine and its active metabolite bind ferriprotoporphyrin IX in the parasite food vacuole, disrupting heme detoxification and hemozoin formation. The complementary fast parasite clearance from artesunate and longer-lived partner-drug activity from amodiaquine support three-day therapy. The fixed-dose product was developed by Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and Sanofi and has been marketed as ASAQ Winthrop and Coarsucam. ([dndi.org](https://dndi.org/press-releases/2008/coarsucam-artesunateamodiaquine-first-fixed-dose-antimalarial-combination-to-receive-who-prequalification/))

Brand names

Artesunate Amodiaquine WinthropASAQ WinthropCoarsucam

Other names

amodiaquine + artesunateamodiaquine-artesunateAQ+ASAQ-ASartesunate + amodiaquineartesunate-amodiaquineartesunate/amodiaquineAS/AQAS-AQASAQ