Table 1.
Standard adult dosages recommended by the WHO (2006) and mean antimalarial drug parameters for artemether, artesunate, DHA, chloroquine, lumefantrine, mefloquine and piperaquine
| Variable | Default value |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artemether | Artesunate | DHA | Chloroquine | Lumefantrine | Mefloquine | Piperaquine | |
| Dose (mg/kg) | 1.6 given twice daily for 3 days | 4 given once daily for 3 days | 4 given once a day for 3 days | 10 given once on days 1 and 2, 5 given once on day 3 | 19.2 given twice daily for 3 days | 25 given once | 18 given once a day for 3 days |
| Vol of distribution (Vd) | 17.4 (21) | 2.75 (54) | 8 (9, 42) | 300 (70, 76) | 21 (11) | 20.8 (70) | 150 (9) |
| Elimination rate constant (k) | 3.96a | 16.6 (39, 59) | 19.8 (9, 42) | 0.0231 (70) | 0.16 (21, 39, 65) | 0.053 (65) | 0.03 (32, 65) |
| Concn required to produce half the desired effect (IC50) | 0.0023a | 0.0016 (5, 38) | 0.009 (38) | 0.02 (38, 40) | 0.032 (5, 59) | 0.027 (5) | 0.088 (42) |
| Maximal parasite-killing rate constant (V) | 4 (67) | 4.6 (67) | 4.6b | 3.45 (67) | 3.45 (67) | 3.45 (67) | 3.45c |
| Slope factor (n) | 4b | 4 (59) | 4 (59) | 1.6a | 4 (59) | 5 (59) | 6 (60) |
a
Unpublished data from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
b
Assumed to be like artesunate.
c
Assumed to be like chloroquine, mefloquine, and lumefantrine.