Population pharmacokinetics of piperaquine after two different treatment regimens with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Thailand

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2008 Mar;52(3):1052-61. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00955-07. Epub 2008 Jan 7.

Abstract

The population pharmacokinetics of piperaquine in adults and children with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria treated with two different dosage regimens of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine were characterized. Piperaquine pharmacokinetics in 98 Burmese and Karen patients aged 3 to 55 years were described by a two-compartment disposition model with first-order absorption and interindividual random variability on all parameters and were similar with the three- and four-dose regimens. Children had a lower body weight-normalized oral clearance than adults, resulting in longer terminal elimination half-lives and higher total exposure to piperaquine (area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 63 days [AUC day 0-63]). However, children had lower plasma concentrations in the therapeutically relevant posttreatment prophylactic period (AUC day 3-20) because of smaller body weight-normalized central volumes of distribution and shorter distribution half-lives. Our data lend further support to a simplified once-daily treatment regimen to improve treatment adherence and efficacy and indicate that weight-adjusted piperaquine doses in children may need to be higher than in adults.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Antimalarials / administration & dosage
  • Antimalarials / pharmacokinetics*
  • Antimalarials / therapeutic use*
  • Area Under Curve
  • Artemisinins / administration & dosage
  • Artemisinins / therapeutic use*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Malaria, Falciparum / drug therapy*
  • Malaria, Falciparum / parasitology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Quinolines / administration & dosage
  • Quinolines / pharmacokinetics*
  • Quinolines / therapeutic use*
  • Thailand
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antimalarials
  • Artemisinins
  • Quinolines
  • artenimol
  • piperaquine