In vitro activities of piperaquine and other 4-aminoquinolines against clinical isolates of Plasmodium falciparum in Cameroon.

The spread of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum calls for a constant search for new drugs. The in vitro activity of piperaquine, a new Chinese synthetic drug belonging to the bisquinolines, was evaluated in 103 fresh clinical isolates of P. falciparum in Cameroon, Central Africa, and compared with that of other 4-aminoquinoline and Mannich base derivatives and dihydroartemisinin. Piperaquine was highly active (geometric mean 50% inhibitory concentration, 38.9 nmol/liter; range, 7.76 to 78.3 nmol/liter) and equally active (P > 0.05) against the chloroquine-sensitive and the chloroquine-resistant isolates. There was a significant but low correlation of response between chloroquine and piperaquine (r = 0.257, P < 0.05). These results suggest that further development of piperaquine, in combination with dihydroartemisinin, holds promise for use in chloroquine-resistant regions of endemicity.