Novel anti-malarial combinations and their toxicity

Artemisinin combination therapy for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria includes artemether plus lumefantrine, artesunate plus amodiaquine, artesunate plus mefloquine, artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine. These drugs are safe and efficacious at present. The emergence of artemisinin resistant parasites in SE Asia means that there is a need to optimise drug dosing and investigate novel therapies to maintain the impressive reduction in malaria mortality which has been seen in the past decade.