Over the last decade, a number of clinical trials have highlighted the impressive antimalarial efficacy of Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine(DP), which was added to the WHO list of antimalarials recommended for first-line therapy in 2010. Researchers present the largest pooled analysis of DP efficacy yet described, to our knowledge, including more than two-thirds of all data from the published literature. Overall the efficacy of DP was excellent, exceeding 98% at day 28 and 97% at day 42, consistent with published results from Africa, Asia, and South America.
However, the study reveals an important sub-group of patients who are at particular risk of treatment failure. ACTs have become a cornerstone of the current global strategy for the control and elimination of malaria and are considered a major factor in achieving the substantial gains in malaria control observed in many endemic…
