Uses of Arterakine

Arterakine drug belongs to the list of prescription drugs effective in the treatment of malaria. Learn more about the use of Arterakine through the article below.

Arterakine contains the active ingredient Piperaquin phosphate with a concentration of 320 mg and Dihydroartemisinin with a concentration of 40 mg. The drug is prepared in the form of film-coated tablets, packed in the form of a box of 10 blisters or 1 blister, 8 tablets / 1 blister and a bottle of 1000 tablets or 40 tablets.

Arterakine is an antimalarial drug with a combination of two active ingredients, Piperaquin and Dihydroartemisinin. The drug is highly effective, fast acting, safe, low toxicity and short treatment time. Arterakine can be used to treat most malaria individuals, including malaria strains that have developed resistance to other antimalarial drugs such as Proguanil, 4-Aminoquinolin, Chloroquine, Pyrimethamine and drugs that combine Sulphonamide with Pyrimethamine . Arterakine is indicated for the treatment of most types of malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malaria, Plasmodium oval and even strains resistant to other antimalarial drugs.

3.1. How to use Arterakine drug Arterakine drug is prepared in the form of tablets, used orally, the drug should not be taken with meals. The medicine should be taken at least 3 hours after the last meal and should not eat anything for 3 hours after taking the medicine.
If the patient vomits within 30 minutes after taking the drug, the entire dose should be repeated. If vomiting occurs within 30 to 60 minutes, repeat half the dose. Do not take repeated doses. If the patient still experiences vomiting after the second dose, another antimalarial drug should be substituted.
For patients who cannot swallow tablets such as the elderly, young children, and infants, it is recommended to use another form of preparation that is more suitable such as powder for oral suspension.
No treatment greater than 2 courses in 1 year and the long half-life of the active ingredient Piperaquin should not make a second course of treatment within 2 months after the first course.
3.2. Dosage of the drug Arterakine There is a strict regulation during the use of Arterakine: it should be taken at the same time every day, taken for 3 consecutive days.
In adults: the first day: take 4 tablets divided into 2 times, the second day: 2 tablets and the third day: 2 tablets. Children from 3 to 6 years old: the first day: 1 tablet in 2 divided doses, the second day: half a tablet, the third day: half a tablet. Children from 7 to 10 years old: first day: 2 tablets divided into 2 times, 2nd day: 1 tablet, 3rd day: 1 tablet. Children from 11 to 14 years old: the first day: 3 tablets divided into 2 times, the second day: 1.5 tablets, the third day: 1.5 tablets. In subjects who are pregnant and lactating women, children from 6 months to 3 years old: need to use according to the dose prescribed by the doctor.

During treatment with Arterakine, patients may experience some unwanted effects, the symptoms are usually mild and transient such as:
Common side effects: vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea, red skin, itchy skin, fever, cough, headache, weakness, anemia, tachycardia, change in blood count, long QTc interval. Rare side effects such as: respiratory tract infections, flu, dizziness, cardiac conduction disturbances, convulsions, muscle and joint pain, gastrointestinal disturbances. In children, side effects may include: ear infection, loss of appetite, respiratory infection, anemia, conjunctivitis, skin inflammation, irregular heartbeat, weakness, rash. There are also rare side effects such as: lymphadenopathy, convulsions, hepatitis, kidney, cardiac conduction disturbances, musculoskeletal pain. It is recommended that patients experiencing abnormal symptoms should immediately report to their doctor for effective treatment support.

Arterakine should not be used in patients already taking other medicinal products that prolong the QTc interval, due to the risk of pharmacokinetic interactions that could lead to adverse effects on the QTc interval.
Avoid using Arterakine in combination with substances with Antioxidant effects such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Glutathion, because it will reduce the anti-malarial effect of Arterakine.
Piperaquin active ingredient has a long half-life, so users need to keep in mind the time of taking the drug to be able to avoid other possible drug interactions.
Arterakine increases the rate of metabolism of drugs such as Theophylline, Paracetamol, the anesthetic drugs Halothane, Enflurane and Isoflurane reducing the concentration of these drugs in plasma leading to their reduced effectiveness when used concurrently with Arterakine.
Arterakine plasma concentrations may be reduced when co-administered with enzyme inducers such as carbamazepine, phenobarbital, rifampicin, phenytoin, St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), these drugs should not be taken concomitantly.
For food interactions: In the presence of fatty foods, the absorption of Arterakine is increased, increasing its effect on the QTc interval. Therefore, Arterakine should only be used with filtered water, should not be used with grapefruit juice because of the potential to increase the concentration of the active substance Piperaquin in the blood plasma.

6.1. Contraindications of Arterakine Arterakine is not contraindicated in the following subjects:
Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to Piperaquin, Dihydroartemisinin or any of the excipients contained in Arterakine. Do not use the drug in children younger than 2 years old. Do not use in patients with a family history of congenital prolongation of the QTc interval or sudden death. Do not administer to patients with a history of bradycardia or symptomatic arrhythmias. Do not use in patients with electrolyte disturbances, especially with hypokalemia. Do not administer to patients with severe malaria as defined by WHO. Do not use in patients being treated with medicinal products that prolong the QTc interval, including: antiarrhythmics (disopyramid, ibutilide, amiodarone, dofetilide, quinidine, procainamide, sotalol, hydroquinidine), neuroleptics (sultopride) , phenothiazines, chlorpromazine, sertindole, mesoridazine, haloperidol, thioridazine, pimozide), antidepressants, some antibacterial agents, some antihistamines (astemizole, terfenadine, mizolastine), diphemanil, domperidone, cisaprid, bepridil, droperidol, levomethadyl, vinca alkaloids, probucol, methadone, arsenic trioxide, vinca alkaloids, and some newer drugs that can prolong the QTc interval (lumefantrine, mefloquine, chloroquine, halofantrine, quinine, and other antimalarials). 6.2. Precautions when using Arterakine Care should be taken when using Arterakine in pregnant women, especially in the first 3 months of pregnancy and women who are breastfeeding.
An eye exam should be performed before long-term use of the drug is indicated and close monitoring is required during treatment with Arterakine.

Store Arterakine at a temperature below 30 degrees Celsius, in a cool, dry place, avoid direct exposure to sunlight or high temperature. Keep away from children's play areas to avoid taking the wrong medicine.
The shelf life of the drug is 48 months from the date of manufacture, it is necessary to see the expiry date before use, if the tablet shows signs of color change, moldy, watery, it should not continue to be used.
Hopefully, with the sharing of the use of Arterakine drug, it will help users know how to use the drug to treat malaria more effectively.