Using Riamet^®/Coartem^®
General rules

When using Riamet^®/Coartem^® the following general rules should be applied:

• Riamet^®/Coartem^® can be used in multi-drug resistant areas.
• When using Riamet^®/Coartem^® it is important to take into account
  • the weight range of the patient
  • the presumed immunological status of the patient
  • the degree of resistance of locally prevalent P. falciparum species.

Riamet^®/Coartem^®:

• Is effective against all falciparum parasites, including those resistant to current therapies.
• Demonstrates significant benefits over some other current antimalarial therapies:
  • high cure rates (>95.0% in evaluable patients) even in multi-drug resistant (MDR) areas
  • low recrudescence* rates in evaluable patients
  • very fast control of malaria symptoms, avoiding progression to cerebral malaria
  • very good tolerability
  • easy fixed-dose combination regimen, simplifying compliance.

* Recrudescence occurs when parasites survive in red blood cells after a brief check (e.g., after failed or incomplete drug treatment) and cause the reappearance of the disease.