Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is a malaria treatment that combines an artemisinin derivative with another antimalarial medicine that has a different mechanism of action and complementary activity.
ACTs are used to treat uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria and are central to treatment recommendations in many malaria–endemic settings. The artemisinin component rapidly reduces the number of malaria parasites, while the partner medicine helps eliminate remaining parasites and reduces the likelihood of treatment failure.
Examples include artemether–lumefantrine and artesunate–amodiaquine. The appropriate regimen depends on national or regional guidelines, the patient’s circumstances, and patterns of drug resistance.
ACTs should be distinguished from injectable artesunate, which is used to treat severe malaria. Severe malaria requires urgent medical care and a different initial treatment approach.
QUICK FACT
An ACT is not simply an artemisinin drug used by itself. It contains an artemisinin derivative plus a partner antimalarial.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Artemisinin: the original antimalarial compound from which several derivatives are developed.
- Artemisinin monotherapy: Using an artemisinin derivative alone is different from combination therapy and is generally discouraged for treating uncomplicated malaria because of concerns about treatment failure and resistance.
- Antimalarial: the broader category of medicines used to prevent or treat malaria.
- Artesunate: an artemisinin derivative used in ACTs and, in injectable form, for severe malaria.
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