Tafenoquine and artemisinin-based combination therapy for vivax malaria: end of the road or just the beginning?

Abstract

Intense malaria control has resulted in a reduction in cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, but the effect is less apparent for Plasmodium vivax. Widespread access to safe and effective radical cure (the treatment of both blood and liver stages) is crucial for the elimination of P vivax and a key element for reducing morbidity associated with recurrent vivax parasitaemia. Tafenoquine co-administered with dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine for the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria (INSPECTOR): a randomised, placebo-controlled, efficacy and safety studyAlthough tafenoquine plus dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine was statistically superior to dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine alone for the radical cure of P vivax malaria, the benefit was not clinically meaningful. This contrasts with previous studies in which tafenoquine plus chloroquine was clinically superior to chloroquine alone for radical cure of P vivax malaria. Full-Text PDF