Artemether saved a patient with severe falciparum malaria after quinine treatment failure (R III type of quinine resistance).

Quinine has been one of the most effective drugs for the treatment of malaria since its introduction into clinical use several centuries ago. It is the drug of choice in severe falciparum malaria. Although the efficacy of the drug has gradually declined against malaria strains in various parts of Southeast Asia, resistance has not yet become a worldwide problem. Treatment failures from quinine in most cases, are low grade resistance (RI or R I1 type of response) which are mostly due to inadequate drug dosage (compliance reason). We report a successful treatment with artemether, in a patient with severe falciparum malaria after treatment failure from quinine (R 111 type of resistance).