Artemether

Artemether
Clinical data
Trade names	Many
AHFS/Drugs.com	International Drug Names
Routes of; administration	Intramuscular Oral
ATC code	P01BE02 (WHO) ;
Legal status
Legal status	UK: POM (Prescription only); In general: ℞ (Prescription only);
Identifiers
	IUPAC name (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	71963-77-4 ;
PubChem CID	68911;
DrugBank	DB06697 ;
ChemSpider	62138 ;
UNII	C7D6T3H22J;
KEGG	D02483 ;
ChEBI	CHEBI:195280 ;
PDB ligand	D8Z (PDBe, RCSB PDB);
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID7040651 ;
ECHA InfoCard	100.189.847
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C16H26O5
Molar mass	298.379 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image;
Melting point	86 to 88 °C (187 to 190 °F)
	SMILES C[C@@H]1CC[C@@H]3C42OO[C@](C)(CC[C@@H]12)O[C@H]4O[C@H](OC)[C@@H]3C;
	InChI 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 ; Key:SXYIRMFQILZOAM-HVNFFKDJSA-N ;
	(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]

^ ^a ^b ^c "Artemether and Lumefantrine (Monograph)". Drugs.com. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^ ^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.
^ Cite error: The named reference Coartem FDA label was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^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.
^ 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.
^ 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.

[drugs-1] "Artemether and Lumefantrine (Monograph)". Drugs.com. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

[Esu2019-2] 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.

[Coartem_FDA_label-3] Cite error: The named reference Coartem FDA label was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Kov2015-4] 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.

[WHO21st-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.

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