Between 2001 and 2006, as an interim strategy, Rwanda chose amodiaquine+ sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AQ+SP) as the first line anti-malaria treatment. Although the clinical response to this combination was relatively good in 2001, since then its efficacy has steadily declined: in 2002 the proportion of successful treatment (recorded at 28 days and PCR-unadjusted) was 83 % (Rwagacondo et al., 2003) and in 2003 it was 74% (Karema et al., 2006). Different artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs) such as amodiaquine+artesunate (AQ+AS), dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHAPPQ) and artemether-lumefantrine (ALN) have been tested in the past few years as possible alternatives to AQ+SP (Fanello et al., 2006; Karema et al., 2006).~Chlorproguanil-dapsone (also known asLapDap) is an antifolate combination similar to sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) but for two important features: (1) it is rapidly eliminated and therefore exerts less selective pressure for resistance-conferring parasite mutations than does SP (Winstanley et al., 1997; Nzila et al., 2000b) and (2) it is active against the SP-resistant forms of the parasite that are found in Africa (Mutabingwa et al., 2001a,b; Kublin et al., 2002). Moreover, a pediatric course of treatment of LapDap is estimated to cost $0.15 (Mutabingwa et al., 2001b), making it orders of magnitude less expensive than any marketed antimalarial drug other than chloroquine and SP.~In 2005-2006, a clinical trial was carried out to test safety, tolerability and efficacy of the combination chlorproguanil-dapsone+artesunate (CD+A): 800 children aged 12-59 months with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria randomly allocated to AQ+SP or CD+A were followed up until day 28 after treatment. Adverse events, clinical and parasitological outcomes were recorded.~Based on the results of all trials carried out by the NMCP, The Rwandan Ministry of Health has now changed the first line to artemether-lumefantrine (ALN), Coartem®. The drug arrived in the country in October 2006.
In 2005-2006, a clinical trial was carried out to test safety, tolerability and efficacy of the combination chlorproguanil-dapsone+artesunate (CD+A): 800 children aged 12-59 months with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria randomly allocated to AQ+SP or CD+A were followed up until day 28 after treatment. Adverse events, clinical and parasitological outcomes were recorded.