Condition

Malaria

Clinical trials and treatment information for Malaria

173.9M
People Affected
300
Active Trials
250M
New Cases/Year
748K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Artemether-Lumefantrine
96% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 72% Safety• 223 trials• 150K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Weight-based, typically 6 doses over 3 days (e.g., 20mg artemether/120mg lumefantrine per tablet, taken twice daily)
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
72
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

24-48 hours

Duration

3 days

Response Rate

96%

Remission Rate

96%

Common Side Effects:

Headache: 20%
Dizziness: 15%
Nausea/Vomiting: 10%
Abdominal pain: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10

Monitoring

$50

Side Effects

$10

Total Annual

$70

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.08

Cost per Remission

$72.9

Cost per Responder

$72.9

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Parasite Density Reduction (by 72 hours)Parasite density: >50,000 parasites/µL
-99.9% (- >49,950 parasites/µL (often to undetectable levels))
Fever Clearance Time (FCT)Time to afebrile: >48 hours
-62.5% (-30 hours (typically within 18 hours))
Treatment Failure Rate (Day 28 PCR-adjusted)Expected failure rate for untreated or resistant malaria: 30%
-90% (-27% (from 30% down to 3%))
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin LevelHemoglobin: 10.5 g/dL
+9.5% (+1.0 g/dL)
Quality of Life (e.g., EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale)QoL Score: 55/100
+36.4% (+20 points)
Appetite Score (5-point Likert scale)Appetite Score: 2/5 (poor)
+100% (+2 points (on a 5-point scale))
Common Side Effects
Headache
+20%
Dizziness
+15%
Nausea/Vomiting
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine
96% Effectiveness• 88% Confidence• 70% Safety• 143 trials• 100K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Weight-based, typically once daily for 3 days
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

24-48 hours

Duration

3 days

Response Rate

96%

Remission Rate

96%

Common Side Effects:

Headache: 15%
Dizziness: 10%
Nausea/Vomiting: 10%
Abdominal pain: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10

Monitoring

$50

Side Effects

$10

Total Annual

$70

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.08

Cost per Remission

$72.9

Cost per Responder

$72.9

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Parasite Density Reduction (Day 3)50,000 parasites/µL
-99.9% (-49,950 parasites/µL)
Peak Oral Temperature39.5 °C
-6.3% (-2.5 °C)
PCR-corrected Parasitological Failure Rate (Day 42)15%
-73.3% (-11 percentage points)
Gametocyte Carriage Rate (Day 7)30%
-83.3% (-25 percentage points)
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin Level10.0 g/dL
+15% (+1.5 g/dL)
Activity Limitation Score (0-10, 10=no limitation)3/10
+166.7% (+5 points)
Mean Parasite Clearance Time48 hours
-50% (-24 hours)
Common Side Effects
Headache
+15%
Dizziness
+10%
Nausea/Vomiting
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Atovaquone-Proguanil
95% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 68% Safety• 36 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Adults: 4 tablets (250mg atovaquone/100mg proguanil) once daily for 3 days
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
68
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

24-48 hours

Duration

3 days

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

95%

Common Side Effects:

Abdominal pain: 20%
Nausea/Vomiting: 15%
Diarrhea: 10%
Headache: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$75

Monitoring

$50

Side Effects

$10

Total Annual

$135

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.08

Cost per Remission

$142.1

Cost per Responder

$142.1

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Parasite Density (P. falciparum)50,000 parasites/µL
-99.9% (-49,950 parasites/µL)
Body Temperature39.5 °C
-5.06% (-2.0 °C)
Malaria Symptom Severity Score (0-30 points)25/30 points
-80% (-20 points)
Headache Severity Score (0-10 points)8/10 points
-75% (-6 points)
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin Levels11.0 g/dL
+9.1% (+1.0 g/dL)
Platelet Count120 x 10^3/µL
+25% (+30 x 10^3/µL)
Fatigue Severity Score (0-10 points)9/10 points
-77.8% (-7 points)
Common Side Effects
Abdominal pain
+20%
Nausea/Vomiting
+15%
Diarrhea
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Chloroquine Phosphate
97% Effectiveness• 92% Confidence• 70% Safety• 131 trials• 500K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Adults: 1000mg salt initially, then 500mg at 6-8 hours, then 500mg daily for 2 more days
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

2-3 days

Duration

3 days

Response Rate

97%

Remission Rate

97%

Common Side Effects:

Pruritus: 50%
Nausea/Vomiting: 20%
Abdominal pain: 10%
Headache: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$2

Monitoring

$20

Side Effects

$5

Total Annual

$27

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.08

Cost per Remission

$27.8

Cost per Responder

$27.8

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Parasite Density (P. falciparum asexual forms)50,000 parasites/µL
-99.9% (-49,950 parasites/µL (within 48 hours))
Body Temperature39.5 °C
-6.3% (-2.5 °C (within 24-48 hours))
Malaria Symptom Severity Score (0-10 VAS for composite symptoms)7/10
-85.7% (-6 points (within 72 hours))
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin Level10.5 g/dL
+9.5% (+1.0 g/dL (post-treatment recovery))
Health-Related Quality of Life (EQ-5D-5L Index Score)0.5 (on a 0-1 scale)
+60% (+0.3 points (over 1-2 weeks))
Fatigue Score (0-10 VAS)8/10
-87.5% (-7 points (within 72 hours - 1 week))
Common Side Effects
Pruritus
+50%
Nausea/Vomiting
+20%
Abdominal pain
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
Primaquine
92% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 60% Safety• 120 trials• 40K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Adults: 0.25mg/kg daily for 14 days (P. vivax/ovale radical cure)
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months for relapse prevention; days for gametocyte clearance

Duration

14 days (daily) for radical cure; single dose for gametocyte clearance

Response Rate

92%

Remission Rate

92%

Common Side Effects:

Hemolytic anemia (in G6PD deficient individuals): 5%
Nausea/Vomiting: 10%
Abdominal pain: 10%
Headache: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$5

Monitoring

$75

Side Effects

$20

Total Annual

$100

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.1

Cost per Remission

$108.7

Cost per Responder

$108.7

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Incidence of P. vivax / P. ovale relapseExpected relapse rate: 80% over 6 months (untreated)
-93.75% (-75 percentage points (from 80% to 5%))
P. falciparum gametocyte carriagePrevalence of gametocytemia: 60% of infected individuals post-treatment with schizonticides
-95% (-57 percentage points (from 60% to 3%))
Clinical recurrence-free survival (P. vivax / P. ovale)Expected clinical recurrence rate without primaquine: 80% within 6 months
-90% (-72 percentage points (from 80% to 8%))
Secondary Benefits
Incidence of post-malaria anemiaAnemia incidence post-treatment without primaquine: 40% (Hb < 11 g/dL) over 6 months due to relapses
-75% (-30 percentage points (from 40% to 10%))
Malaria-specific Quality of Life (QoL) scoreQoL score (e.g., EQ-5D Visual Analog Scale): 60/100 (post-acute episode, pre-radical cure)
+33.3% (+20 points (from 60 to 80))
Proportion of patients requiring repeat healthcare visits due to relapseProportion of patients with repeat visits: 70% over 6 months (untreated)
-85.7% (-60 percentage points (from 70% to 10%))
Common Side Effects
Hemolytic anemia (in G6PD deficient individuals)
+5%
Nausea/Vomiting
+10%
Abdominal pain
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
6
Quinine Sulfate + Doxycycline
90% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 60% Safety• 1 trials• 30K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Quinine: 600mg salt 3 times daily for 7 days. Doxycycline: 100mg daily for 7 days
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

2-4 days

Duration

7 days (quinine) + 7 days (doxycycline)

Response Rate

90%

Remission Rate

90%

Common Side Effects:

Cinchonism (tinnitus, headache, nausea, visual disturbances): 50%
Hypoglycemia: 10%
QTc prolongation: 30%
Photosensitivity (doxycycline): 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$35

Monitoring

$100

Side Effects

$30

Total Annual

$165

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.07

Cost per Remission

$183.3

Cost per Responder

$183.3

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Asexual Parasite Density50,000 parasites/uL
-100% (-50,000 parasites/uL (to undetectable))
Body Temperature39.0 °C
-5.13% (-2.0 °C (to afebrile))
Malaria Symptom Severity Score (0-10 scale)8/10
-87.5% (-7 points (to 1/10))
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin Level10.5 g/dL
+9.52% (+1.0 g/dL)
Platelet Count100 x 10^9/L
+100% (+100 x 10^9/L (to normal range))
Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) Score (1-7 scale)6.5/7
-76.9% (-5.0 points (to 1.5/7))
Common Side Effects
Cinchonism (tinnitus, headache, nausea, visual disturbances)
+50%
Hypoglycemia
+10%
QTc prolongation
+30%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4