Halofantrine in the treatment of acute malaria: a multi-centre study in 268 patients

The clinical efficacy and tolerability of halofantrine, a new antimalarial schizontocide, was studied in a multi-centre trial involving 268 patients ranging in age from 6 months to 58 years. The patients were suffering from acute uncomplicated malaria due to either P. vivax or P. falciparum. Patients were treated orally with 3 doses of halofantrine hydrochloride, 500 mg/6-hourly in adults or 8 mg/kg body weight 6-hourly in children. The overall cure rate was 96.9%. The mean fever clearance time for different species was as follows: P. vivax--39.1 hours, P. falciparum--43.2 hours, mixed infection--60.0 hours, and the mean parasitaemia clearance times were 47.7, 55.1 and 72.0 hours, respectively. Recrudescence was reported in 11 (4.1%) patients, although all of them were parasite-free on Day 7 post-treatment. No haematological or biochemical abnormalities were noted. The drug was very well tolerated and no significant side-effects were reported. Halofantrine was found to be highly effective in acute malaria and offers an important alternative to existing medications.