Conditions: Malaria Malaria, Cerebral
Keywords: artesunate artemisinin falciparum
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 26
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to establish the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of a multiple dose of the antimalarial drug artesunate.

Detailed description:
This study was a Phase 1b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using multiple ascending doses of intravenous artensunate (AS) to determine it's safety, tolerability, and PK in healthy subjects. Subjects were screened within 21 days of dosing. At the screening visit, subject underwent baseline assessments: vital signs were recorded; a physical examination, urinalysis, urine drug screen, and urine pregnancy test were performed; a complete blood cell count (CBC) with differential and indices, reticulocyte count, coagulation markers, and blood chemistry assessments were performed and medical and medication history was collected. Eligible subjects were scheduled for a 6-hour pre-dose electrocardiogram (ECG) and vital sign assessment with measurements taken at approx. the same times as Day 1 (dosing day). On Day 0, subjects were admitted to the clinical pharmacology unit to begin the inpatient phase of the study. Subjects had a brief physical examination and all procedures for the inpatient stay were reviewed. On Day 1, pre-dose vital signs and ECG were performed. Subjects then received study drug or placebo by IV bolus infusion. Subjects were closely monitored by evaluating hemodynamic measurements, periodic ECGs, and assessment of spontaneously reported AEs. Blood was drawn for blood count and chemistry analysis 6h and 24h after each dose. PK blood samples were drawn pre-dose and approx. 5min, 20min, 40min, 1h, 2h, 4h, 6h, and 24h after each dose. On Days 2 and 3 subjects received their second and third doses, respectively, of study drug or placebo with the same monitoring and laboratory measurements as for the first dose. Subjects were discharged 24 hours after the 3rd dose of drug or placebo and were followed as outpatients on Days 7, 10, and 15.

Arms:
arm 1: 2 mg/kg of Intravenous artesunate arm 2: 4 mg/kg of Intravenous artesunate arm 3: 8 mg/kg of Intravenous artesunate arm 4: Mannitol (200 mg/vial) diluted in phosphate buffer and delivered in an equivalent volume by subject's weight as artesunate.

Interventions: intervention 1: Intravenous Artesunate intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Three doses of Intravenous Artesunate drug at 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg in diluent Phosphate Buffer (0.3 M, pH 8.1) intervention 2: Mannitol (200 mg/vial) diluted in Phosphate Buffer and given IV in equivalent volume by subject's weight.

Protocol document: