Artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria during pregnancy in eastern Sudan

Malaria during pregnancy is associated with serious adverse effects; these could be avoided with effective treatment. Artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS + SP) is a promising antimalarial combination; however, few data are available on its safety during pregnancy. The present study was carried out in New Halfa Hospital, eastern Sudan, between September 2004 and March 2005. Thirty-two pregnant Sudanese women with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria were treated with AS + SP at a mean of 29.7 weeks of gestation. The patients were followed-up until delivery and the babies were followed-up until the age of 1 month. The drug was well tolerated, the parasitaemia was cleared and the patients were symptom-free within 2 days. All the patients delivered full-term live babies. One of the babies died on the fourth day; none of the women died and there was no miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital abnormalities in the newborn babies. Thus, this small descriptive study failed to detect unintended effects of AS + SP during pregnancy.