Piperaquine/dihydroartemisinin explained

Piperaquine/dihydroartemisinin (DHA/PPQ), sold under the brand name Eurartesim among others, is a fixed dose combination medication used in the treatment of malaria. It is a combination of piperaquine and dihydroartemisinin. Specifically it is used for malaria of the P. falciparum and P. vivax types. It is taken by mouth.

Side effects are uncommon.[1] Concerns include the possibility of QT prolongation.[1] Versions are available for use in children. Use in early pregnancy is not recommended.[1] The two medications work by different mechanisms.[1]

Piperaquine/dihydroartemisinin was approved for medical use in Europe in 2011.[2] The combination is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[3] [4] It is commercially available in Africa and Asia.[2] It has been used to treat more than 4.5million people as of 2017.[2]

Pharmacology

Dihydroartemisinin (also known as dihydroqinghaosu, artenimol or DHA) is a drug used to treat malaria. Dihydroartemisinin is the active metabolite of all artemisinin compounds (artemisinin, artesunate, artemether, etc.) and is also available as a drug in itself. It is a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin and is widely used as an intermediate in the preparation of other artemisinin-derived antimalarial drugs.

Piperaquine is an antimalarial drug, a bisquinoline first made in the 1960s, and used extensively in China and Indochina as prophylaxis and treatment during the next 20 years. Usage declined in the 1980s as piperaquine-resistant strains of P. falciparum arose and artemisinin-based antimalarials became available. The combination dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine is an effective antimalarial that is used widely around the world. In South-East Asia, where resistance has emerged towards both artemisinin and piperaquine, the combination is being trialed with a third drug, namely mefloquine.[5]

Piperaquine is characterized by slow absorption and a long biological half-life, making it a good partner drug with artemisinin derivatives which are fast acting but have a short biological half-life.

Society and culture

This product is available in the market of several countries:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dihydroartemisinin/Piperaquine Application for Inclusion in the 17th WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. WHO. 29 June 2017. November 2010.
  2. Web site: Eurartesim EPAR . European Medicines Agency (EMA) . 17 September 2018 . 3 May 2020.
  3. Book: ((World Health Organization)) . World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019 . 2019 . 10665/325771 . World Health Organization . World Health Organization . Geneva . WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO . free .
  4. Book: ((World Health Organization)) . World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021) . 2021 . 10665/345533 . World Health Organization . World Health Organization . Geneva . WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02 . free .
  5. Web site: TRAC II - Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit. www.tropmedres.ac. 28 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170728155715/http://www.tropmedres.ac/trac. 28 July 2017. dead.