Short Report: Therapeutic Efficacy of Chloroquine Combined with Primaquine Against Plasmodium falciparum in Northeastern Papua, Indonesia

Authors

J. Kevin Baird, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit # 2Follow
Iwa Waidy, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit # 2
Awalludin Sutanihardja, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit # 2
Suradi, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit # 2
Purnomo, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit # 2
Hasan Basri, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit # 2
Sekartuti, National Health Research Center
Ester Ayomi, PUSKESMAS Jalan Jendral Yani
David J. Fryauff, Naval Medical Research CenterFollow
Stephen L. Hoffman, Celera Genomics

Date of this Version

2002

Citation

Published in Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. (2002) 66(6), pp. 659–660.

Abstract

Chloroquine combined with primaquine was evaluated for therapy of uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum in nonimmune Javanese migrants to northeastern Papua, Indonesia. Subjects were randomized to treatment with standard chloroquine therapy (25 mg/kg in 3 doses over the course of 48 hours) with 30 mg primaquine administered daily for 28 days (n = 25) or a placebo of primaquine (n = 28). The 14-day cumulative incidence of therapeutic failure was 56% with primaquine and 79% with placebo (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1–1.3; P = 0.08). Primaquine administered daily created a marginally significant improvement in therapeutic efficacy at day 14, but not at day 7 (20% versus 36%; OR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1–1.8; P = 0.2) or day 28 (82% versus 93%; OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.04–2.1; P = 0.23). This report corroborates studies suggesting that therapeutic doses of primaquine exert no discernible effect on parasitemia by P. falciparum.