New Malaria Drug Equals Old Drug in Study

A new drug is as effective as an old drug in treating malaria, researchers report. And the new drug, Pyramex, needs to be given only once a day. The standard treatment, Coartem, has to be taken twice a day. Pyramex is a combination of two drugs, pyronaridine and artesunate. Coartem combines artemether and lumefantrine. The study included 1,272 people. Two-thirds of them were randomly assigned to receive the standard drug, Coartem. One-third were given Pyramex. More than 99% responded to treatment, regardless of the drug given. People taking Coartem became reinfected sooner than people taking Pyramex. Side effects were similar with the two drugs. Some people taking Pyramex had raised levels of liver enzymes. But this side effect was mild and did not last, the authors said. The study appeared in the journal Lancet. Reuters and Agence France Presse wrote about it April 22.