Artesunate plus sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine versus praziquantel in the treatment of Schistosoma mansoni in eastern Sudan.

The efficacy and safety of oral artesunate+sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (AS+SP) (4 mg/kg AS for 3 consecutive days+25 mg sulfadoxine on Day 0) in the treatment of Schistosoma mansoni infections were compared with those of praziquantel (PZQ) (40 mg/kg) among infected schoolchildren (46 in each study arm) in eastern Sudan. The cure rate at 28 days was 58.6% in the AS+SP group and 100% in the PZQ group (P<0.001). While drug-related adverse effects (headache, dizziness, nausea and diarrhoea) were not significantly different between the two groups, significantly more children suffered abdominal pain in the PZQ group than in the AS+SP group (P=0.001). Thus, AS+SP has poor efficacy in the treatment of S. mansoni compared with PZQ.