Artemether

Artemether
Clinical data
Trade namesMany[1]
AHFS/Drugs.comInternational Drug Names
Routes of
administration		Intramuscular[2] Oral
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
  • UK: POM (Prescription only)
  • In general: ℞ (Prescription only)
Identifiers
  • (3R,5aS,6R,8aS,9R,10S,12R,12aR)-10-methoxy-3,6,9-trimethyldecahydro-12H-3,12-epoxy[1,2]dioxepino[4,3-i]-2-benzopyran
CAS Number
PubChem CID
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
PDB ligand
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.189.847 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC16H26O5
Molar mass298.379 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Melting point86 to 88 °C (187 to 190 °F)
  • C[C@@H]1CC[C@@H]3C42OO[C@](C)(CC[C@@H]12)O[C@H]4O[C@H](OC)[C@@H]3C
  • InChI=1S/C16H26O5/c1-9-5-6-12-10(2)13(17-4)18-14-16(12)11(9)7-8-15(3,19-14)20-21-16/h9-14H,5-8H2,1-4H3/t9-,10-,11+,12+,13+,14-,15-,16-/m1/s1 checkY
  • Key:SXYIRMFQILZOAM-HVNFFKDJSA-N checkY
 ☒NcheckY (what is this?)  (verify)

Artemether is a medication used for the treatment of malaria.[1][2] The injectable form is specifically used for severe malaria rather than quinine.[2] In adults, it may not be as effective as artesunate.[2] It is given by injection in a muscle.[2] It is also available by mouth in combination with lumefantrine, known as artemether/lumefantrine.[1][3]

Artemether causes relatively few side effects.[4] An irregular heartbeat may rarely occur.[4] While there is evidence that use during pregnancy may be harmful in animals, there is no evidence of concern in humans.[4] The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore recommends its use during pregnancy.[4] It is in the artemisinin class of medication.[4]

Artemether has been studied since at least 1981, and has been in medical use since 1987.[5] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Artemether and Lumefantrine (Monograph)". Drugs.com. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Esu EB, Effa EE, Opie ON, Meremikwu MM (June 2019). "Artemether for severe malaria". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 6 (6): CD010678. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010678.pub3. PMC 6580442. PMID 31210357.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Coartem FDA label was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e Kovacs SD, Rijken MJ, Stergachis A (February 2015). "Treating severe malaria in pregnancy: a review of the evidence". Drug Safety. 38 (2): 165–181. doi:10.1007/s40264-014-0261-9. PMC 4328128. PMID 25556421.
  5. ^ Rao Y, Zhang D, Li R (2016). Tu Youyou and the Discovery of Artemisinin: 2015 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. World Scientific. p. 162. ISBN 9789813109919. Archived from the original on 2017-09-10.
  6. ^ World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2019. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.