Sanofi aventis confirms Coarsucam as effective as Coartem

Sanofi aventis has confirmed that Coarsucam is as effective as Coartem in treating uncomplicated malaria.

The study was conducted within the African countries where the two combinations are recommended by the World Health Organisation and enrolled 941 patients into three treatment groups.

A new fixed-dose combination of artesunate and amodiaquine, jointly developed by Sanofi aventis and DNDi (Coarsucam), was compared with the fixed-dose combination of artemether and lumefantrine (Coartem).

The primary objective was to demonstrate, 28 days after treatment initiation (D28), the non-inferiority of Coarsucam in terms of clinical and parasitological efficacy compared with Coartem.

On D28, clinical and parasitological cure was achieved in 95.2 per cent of the patients treated with Coarsucam once daily, and in 95.5 per cent of the patients in the Coartem group.

Non-inferiority was established for all treatment groups, including children aged less than five years.

Sanofi aventis has stated that the study confirms the value of treating patients suffering from uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria with Coarsucam.

Last month, UCB and Sanofi aventis have confirmed that their new once-daily medication to treat allergies is now available by prescription in the US.