Comparison of the susceptibility of falciparum malaria to mefloquine-sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and chloroquine in Nigeria.

In Nigeria chloroquine remains the drug of choice for the treatment of falciparum malaria since chloroquine resistance is not yet a problem. Nevertheless, in view of the rapid spread of multi-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Africa, it is desirable to test alternative drugs for efficacy and safety. To this end we undertook a comparative controlled trial of the new triple combination, mefloquine-sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (MSP, Fansimef, Hoffman-La Roche, Switzerland) with chloroquine in a group of Nigerian children with symptomatic falciparum malaria. Our results showed that Fansimef was a rapidly acting blood schizontocide against the Nigerian strain of P. falciparum, and was well tolerated. In particular, sinus bradycardia, which was frequently observed with Fansimef in the trials conducted in Zambia, was not seen in any of the Nigerian patients.