Table 3

Safety outcomes: maternal adverse events and pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to artemisinin compounds: Descriptive studies.

Study site, year Ref
Antimalarial treatment
N (% Follow-up)
Outcomes of interests









Maternal Safety
Pregnancy outcomes










Overall
1st trimester exposures

China, 1976–1980 [15]
Artemisinin IM or Artemether
6 (100%)
No adverse effect
6 (100%) followed up at 5–9 year
None
TBB, 1992–2000 [16]
Artesunate alone or with mefloquine; clindamycin atovaquone-proguanil; coartemether, artemether IM
461 (89%)
No ADRs (pruritus)
Maternal deaths (n = 2)*
Abortions 4.8% (n = 20)
Stillbirth 1.8% (n = 7)
Congenital abnormalities 0.8%: anencephaly (n = 1); midline epidermoid cyst (n = 1)
Abortions 23% (n = 10)
TBB 1999–2001 [19]
Artesunate+atovaquone-proguanil
27 (100%)
Symptoms possible ADRs: Headache (42%); muscle/joint pain (30%); abdominal pain (42%); anorexia (40%); nausea (25%); vomiting (10%); rash (15%); dizziness (70%), tinnitus (24%); contraction (15%) and sleep disturbance (8%)
Neonatal deaths (n = 1)
Normal deliveries and healthy newborns
Gambia, 1999 [41]
Artesunate + SP
325 (88%)
Maternal deaths (n = 1)**
Stillbirth (n = 11)
Congenital abnormalities: umbilical hernia (n = 1); undescended testis; (n = 1) Neonatal deaths (n = 8)
Not reported
Sudan, 1997–2001 [22]
Artemether IM
28 (100%)
NR
Neonatal deaths (n = 1)
Normal delivery and healthy newborn
Sudan, 2004–2005 [23]
Artesunate + SP
32 (100%)
Giddiness and nausea (13%)
Neurological exam.
Neonatal deaths (n = 1)
None
TOTAL
123 1st trimester, P. falciparum or mixed malaria 7% to 100% symptomatic 945 artemisinin exposures
879 (90%)
3 maternal deaths
Neurological exam in 2 studies
Abortions n = 20
Stillbirths (n = 18)
Congenital abnormality: (n = 4) Neonatal deaths (n = 11)
65 (15%) infant followed up to 1 year
Abortions n = 10

* One maternal death was due to severe malaria and anaemia, the other died of causes unrelated to malaria.

** For 1 maternal death the exposure status could not be confirmed; verbal autopsies indicate that the deaths were due to postpartum haemorrhage.

Abbreviation: ADR: adverse drug reaction; AE: adverse event; IM: intramuscular injection; NR: not reported; Q: quinine; A: artemisinin derivative; A+M: artesunate+mefloquine; TBB: Thai-Burmese border

Dellicour et al. Malaria Journal 2007 6:15   doi:10.1186/1475-2875-6-15