[Treatment of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria: role of the combination of dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine].

The dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine combination is an antimalarial agent newly available in Europe. It is an artemisinin-combined therapy (ACT) that has been used for more than 10 years in malaria-endemic areas and is recommended since 2010 by the WHO as a first-line treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In Europe, it has recently been authorized for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in adults, children, and infants aged 6 months or older and weighing at least 5 kg. Its efficacy is similar to the combination of artemether and lumefantrine, and the regimen is easier. The tolerability profile is nearly the same as the other ACTs. Prolongation of the QT interval appears to be greater than with the artemether-lumefantrine combination in the first 48 hours of treatment, although no clinical consequences have been described. This side effect requires the use of electrocardiographic monitoring in some patients. A risk management plan has been set up by the manufacturer.