Artesunate Better Than Quinine for Severe Falciparum Malaria

Parenteral quinine, usually administered with another antimalarial drug, has long been the mainstay for treating severe falciparum malaria. To assess whether it remains the drug of choice, investigators conducted a multicenter, randomized trial comparing intravenous artesunate with intravenous quinine. Patients >2 years old who were hospitalized with severe falciparum malaria were enrolled at study sites in Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, and Indonesia. Following the initial, intravenous doses, medication was administered orally if patients could take pills. The study medication was given for a total of 7 days and, except in children aged <8 years and pregnant women, was combined with oral doxycycline. In-hospital death was the primary endpoint…