Does the Use of Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine in Treating Patients with Uncomplicated falciparum Malaria Reduce the Risk for Recurrent New falciparum Infection More Than Artemether-Lumefantrine?

Table 5

Findings on total treatment failure (TTF), PCR-corrected by day 28.

Study name	Study groups with number of failures	Risk (𝑅)	Risk ratio (RR) (95% CI)	𝑃 value	Interpretation for RR values
Bassat et al., 2009 [32]	DP (𝑁/𝑁): 100/1038; AL (𝑛/𝑁): 51/510	0.096; 0.010	0.963; (0.699–1.327)	0.819	This means there is 3.7% reduction in risk of failure in favour of DP treatment but the result is not statistically significant. The highest possible reduction in risk was 30.1%, favouring DP.
Yavo et al., 2011 [33]	DP (𝑛/𝑁): 1/191; AL (𝑛/𝑁): 2/183	0.005; 0.011	0.479; (0.044–5.238)	0.546	Treatment with DP had contributed to a point estimate of 52.1% reduction in treatment failure, with highest possible reduction of 95.6% but the result is not statistically significant.
Kamya et al., 2007 [30]	DP (𝑛/𝑁): 4/211; AL (𝑛/𝑁): 18/210	0.019; 0.087	0.220; (0.076–0.639)	0.005	This result shows that DP treatment was associated with a point estimate reduction of 78% in treatment failure, with lowest and highest of the estimates being 36.1% and 92.4%, respectively, and is statistically significant.
Sawa et al., 2013 [34]	DP (𝑛/𝑁): 0/137; AL (𝑛/𝑁): 2/147	0.000; 0.014	0.214; (0.010–4.428)	0.319	DP treatment had contributed to 78.6% reduction in treatment failure but it is not statistically significant. The largest plausible reduction would be 99%.
Adam et al., 2010 [29]	DP (𝑛/𝑁): 0/75; AL (𝑛/𝑁): 1/74	0.000; 0.014	0.329; (0.014–7.947)	0.494	Result shows a statistically insignificant difference between DP and AL treatment in preventing treatment failure but indicates that there was a 67.1% risk of failure reduction in favour of DP treatment (1>RR, 1−RR=1−0.329=0.671×100=67.1%).
Yeka et al., 2008 [35]	DP (𝑛/𝑁): 2/211; AL (𝑛/𝑁): 6/190	0.009; 0.032	0.300; (0.061–1.469)	0.138	Result is not significant statistically but there was a reduction in failure in favour of DP treatment of 70%. The highest reduction possible was 93.9% in favour of DP treatment of falciparum malaria.