No evidence of cardiotoxicity during anti-malarial treatment with artemether-lumefantrine

Abstract. Artemether-lumefantrine is a new fixed antimalarial combination effective against multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria. A prospective electrocardiographic study was conducted in 150 patients receiving artemether-lumefantrine and 50 treated with artesunate-mefloquine. There was no evidence for clinically significant changes in the electrocardiographic intervals and in particular no relationship between plasma concentrations of lumefantrine and QTc prolongation. Artemether-lumefantrine does not have significant cardiac effects at therapeutic doses. Artemether and lumefantrine (benflumetol) is a new com-bination effective against multidrug-resistant falciparum ma-laria. Lumefantrine is a racemic fluorene derivative with the chemical name 2-dibutylamino-1-[2,7-dichloro-9-(4-chloro-benzylidene)-9H-fluoren-4-yl]-ethanol. It conforms structur-ally, to the aryl-amino alcohol group of antimalarials in-cluding quinine, mefloquine, and halofantrine. Other anti-malarials notably quinine, and to a greater extent quinidine and halofantrine, are known to prolong ventricular repolar-ization reflected in prolongation of the electrocardiographi