artesunate + primaquine

Artesunate + primaquine is a co-administered antimalarial regimen consisting of two separate small molecule drugs: artesunate, a semi-synthetic artemisinin derivative, and primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline. This combination is designed to target multiple stages of the malaria parasite life cycle. Artesunate provides rapid clearance of asexual blood-stage parasites by interfering with heme detoxification, while primaquine acts as a gametocytocidal agent to reduce the transmission of *Plasmodium falciparum* and provides a radical cure for *Plasmodium vivax* by eliminating dormant liver-stage hypnozoites. Evaluated in clinical trials in Myanmar under the sponsorship of the WHO Country Office, this loose-tablet regimen is used for the treatment of both uncomplicated *P. falciparum* and *P. vivax* malaria.

Other names

artesunate and primaquineprimaquine + artesunate