Pharmacokinetic disposition of sulfadoxine in children with acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in South West Nigeria.

Sulfadoxine (SDX)-pyrimethamine is currently recommended as a partner drug with artesunate in the chemotherapy of malaria. However, information on pharmacokinetic disposition of SDX-pyrimethamine in children is limited. Efforts in this study were thus devoted to evaluation of pharmacokinetic disposition of SDX using high-pressure liquid chromatographic techniques and effects of pharmacokinetic variability on treatment outcome in Nigerian children with falciparum malaria. The blood concentration profile of SDX was similar in patients whose infection responded to treatment and those who failed treatment; mean SDX concentration values were similar for day 3 (179 vs 157 μg/mL, P = 0.734), day 7 (84 vs 51 μg/mL, P = 0.365), and day 14 (50 vs 14 μg/mL, P = 0.151). Extent of exposure (area under the curve) to SDX was also similar in the patients (1196 vs 1013 μg d/mL, P = 0.561). Pearson's correlation, showed significant correlation between area under the curve and D3 or D7 concentration of SDX (P = 0.001, r = 0.702 or P = 0.001, r = 0.835, respectively). Age-stratified analysis showed that SDX concentrations were significantly higher in older children (older than 5 years); the mean maximum concentration (125 vs 295 μg/mL, P = 0.001), extent of exposure (812 vs 1562 μg d/mL, P = 0.001), day 3 concentration (98 vs 250 μg/mL, P = 0.001), and day 7 concentration (54 vs 128 μg/mL, P = 0.007) were higher. The study revealed no differences in posttreatment blood SDX concentrations in patients who responded to treatment and those who failed to respond to treatment. Furthermore, there was an age-related pharmacokinetic variability of SDX in the group of children studied with potential impact on treatment outcome.