Abstract:
Background: In 2006, artemether–lumefantrine (ALU), specifcally Coartem® (Novartis Pharma AG, Basel Switzerland),
was approved as the frst-line drug for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Tanzania. Due to poor availability and
afordability of the innovator’s product, the government of Tanzania in 2013 prequalifed the use of generic antimalarial drugs, whereby Artefan® (Ajanta, Pharma Ltd, India) was the frst to be approved.
Methods: This was an equivalence prospective study that aimed to determine the efectiveness of anti-malarial
generic Artefan® in comparison with innovator’s product Coartem®. Patients aged 6 to 59 months with uncomplicated malaria were recruited and randomized to either receive Artefan® or Coartem® as a control. Participants were
required to revisit clinic fve times as follow up to monitor treatment outcome as per World Health Organization recommendations. On each visit, thick and thin blood smears, dried blood spot (DBS), haemoglobin concentrations and
auxiliary temperature were performed and documented.
Results: Out of 230 recruited participants, 200 met inclusion criteria and were randomized equally to receive
Artefan® and Coartem®. The overall PCR uncorrected cure rate were 80% for Artefan® and 75% for Coartem®
(p=0.44). Adequate clinical and parasitological response were 82.1% for Artefan® and 74.7% for Coartem®, and there
was no early treatment failure (ETF) observed in both arms of treatment. Both drugs showed excellent early parasite
clearance, whereby no participants had peripheral parasitaemia on day 3. Late clinical failures (LCF) were 3.6% for
Artefan® and 1.3% for Coartem® (p=0.31), and late parasitological failure (LPF) were 15.4% for Artefan® and 22.7%
for Coartem® (p=0.32). Mean haemoglobin (g/dl) concentrations observed on day 28 were higher compared to
day 0 for both drugs, although not statistically signifcant. Only one (1.3%) participant on Artefan® had temperature≥37.5 °C on day 3.
Conclusion: The fndings of this study indicate that both Artefan® and Coartem® are equivalent and efective in the
management of uncomplicated malaria amongst children in the Coast part of Tanzania.
