Artemether in moderate to severe malaria: a multicenter trial in India.

154 patients suffering from acute attack of moderate to severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum were treated with 480 mg artemether, administered intramuscularly (i.m.) in six equally divided doses at 12 hour intervals. Results showed a rapid parasite clearance. Mean parasite clearance time (PCT) was found to be 23.65 +/- 1.57 hours. Mean fever clearance time (FCT) was 35.28 +/- 1.7 hours. Adverse drug events (ADE) were mild and self-limiting. Recrudescence rate (RR) among the patients followed up was 4.55%. We conclude that artemether is a safe and effective anti-malarial agent for the treatment of moderate and severe cases of P. falciparum malaria.