Artesunate

Artesunate
Clinical data


Pronunciation	ahr-tez′ŭ-nāt
Trade names	many
AHFS/Drugs.com	International Drug Names
Routes of administration	by mouth, intravenous, intramuscular
ATC code	P01BE03 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	Not licensed in UK or US
Identifiers
CAS Number	88495-63-0^N 80155-81-3 (sodium salt)
PubChem (CID)	5464098
ChemSpider	16735675^Y
UNII	60W3249T9M^Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL258608^N
NIAID ChemDB	112081
ECHA InfoCard	100.106.898
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C₁₉H₂₈O₈
Molar mass	384.421 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES [H][C@@]12CC[C@@]3(C)OO[C@@]11[C@@]([H])(CC[C@H]2C)[C@@H](C)[C@H](OC(=O)CCC(O)=O)O[C@]1([H])O3
InChI InChI=1S/C19H28O8/c1-10-4-5-13-11(2)16(23-15(22)7-6-14(20)21)24-17-19(13)12(10)8-9-18(3,25-17)26-27-19/h10-13,16-17H,4-9H2,1-3H3,(H,20,21)/t10-,11-,12+,13+,16-,17-,18-,19-/m1/s1^N Key:FIHJKUPKCHIPAT-AHIGJZGOSA-N^N
^NY (what is this?)

Artesunate (AS) is a medication used to treat malaria. The intravenous form is preferred to quinidine for severe malaria. Often it is used as part of combination therapy. It is not used for the prevention of malaria. Artesunate can be given by injection into a vein, injection into a muscle, or taken by mouth.

Artesunate is generally well tolerated. Side effects may include a slow heartbeat, allergic reaction, dizziness, and low white blood cell levels. During pregnancy it appears to be a safer option, even though animal studies have found harm to the baby. Use is likely okay during breastfeeding. It is in the artemisinin class of medication.

Artesunate is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. The wholesale cost in the developing world is 2.09 to 2.57 USD a dose. It is not commercially available in the United States; however, can be gotten from the Centers for Disease Control. It was originally made from the sweet wormwood plant.

Artesunate is the first line treatment for children or adults with severe malaria. The recommendation is to treat with at least 24 hours of artesunate by injection. Artemisinin-based combination therapy may be used by mouth in persons that can tolerate it after 24 hours by injection. In facilities where long-term care is not appropriate, artesunate may be given as a single intramuscular injection or by rectal route (children < 6 years) prior to transferring care to a higher level facility.

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Wikipedia