Table 1.

main characteristics of 35 cases of fatal outcome from cardiac origin presumably related to halofantrine

patient agea (year)	Median: 27; range: 2 - 53
sexb	male: n = 9 (27%); female: n = 24 (70%)
geographic origin of patients	developing world, n = 25; developed world, n = 10
type of report	• spontaneous n = 34
	• clinical trial n = 0
(GSK data base only)	• post marketing survey n = 0
source of report	health care professional n = 35
time from first dose to death (day)	median: 1; range: 0 3
	• same day as first dose: n = 13 (37%)
	• 1 day after first dose: n = 13 (37%)
	• 2 days after first dose: n = 2 (6%)
	• 3 days after first dose: n = 3 (8%)
	• unknown: n = 4 (11%)
number of patients receiving 1 or 2 courses of halofantrive and number of doses taken by patientsc	• first course of halofantrine: n = 23
	◦ 1 dose: n = 1 (3%)
	◦ 2 doses: n = 9 (26%)
	◦ 3 doses: n = 10 (28%)
	◦ other including pediatric formulation: n = 3
	• second course of halofantrine: n = 6
	◦ 5 or 6 doses: n = 5 (14%)
	◦ 8 doses: n = 1 (3%)
malaria diagnosis and malaria	• no diagnostic test performed: n = 8
speciesd	• blood smear negative: n = 7
	• P. falciparum: n = 8
	• P. vivax: n = 1
	• Plasmodium sp: n = 4
concomitant drugs with possible cardiac effect	n = 20 (57%)
	• anti-malarial: chloroquine: n = 7; mefloquine: n = 4; amodiaquine: n = 1;
	• antibiotics: cyclines, n = 2; metronidazole, n = 1; ciprofloxacine, n = 1; norfloxacine, n = 1
	• drugs leading to electrolyte imbalance: diuretics, n = 2; potassium, n = 1
underlying medical condition	n = 14 (40%)
	• cardiovascular disease, n = 11
	• obesity, n = 1
	• epilepsy, n = 1
	• severe anaemia, n = 1

missing data: a: n = 3; b: n = 2; c: 6; d: n = 7