Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32780098›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2020

Characterizing the non-linear pharmacokinetics of miltefosine in paediatric visceral leishmaniasis patients from Eastern Africa.

Semra Palić, Anke E Kip, Jos H Beijnen, Jane Mbui, Ahmed Musa, Alexandra Solomos, Monique Wasunna, Joseph Olobo, Fabiana Alves, Thomas P C Dorlo

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Labeling Pediatric Products: BPCA Efforts and Orphan Drug Opportunities.The journal of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics : JPPT : the official journal of PPAG · 2025
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  6. Evaluation of Beauvericin's activity and mode of action against all life stages ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.

Semra PalićDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Anke E KipDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jos H BeijnenDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jane MbuiCentre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ahmed MusaInstitute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Alexandra SolomosDrugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Geneva, Switzerland.
Monique WasunnaDrugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Nairobi, Kenya.
Joseph OloboDepartment of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Fabiana AlvesDrugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Geneva, Switzerland.
Thomas P C DorloDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The Netherlands Cancer Institute · NLDrugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative · CHKenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative · KEKenya Medical Research Institute · KEMakerere University · UGUniversity of Khartoum · SD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundConventional miltefosine dosing (2.5 mg/kg/day) for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is less effective in children than in adults. A higher allometric dose (median 3.2 mg/kg/day) was therefore investigated in paediatric VL patients in Eastern Africa. Results of this trial showed an unforeseen, lower than dose-proportional increase in exposure. Therefore, we performed a pooled model-based analysis of the paediatric data available from both dosing regimens to characterize observed non-linearities in miltefosine pharmacokinetics (PK).

methodsFifty-one children with VL were included in this analysis, treated with either a conventional (n = 21) or allometric (n = 30) miltefosine dosing regimen. PK data were analysed using non-linear mixed-effects modelling.

resultsA two-compartment model following first-order absorption and linear elimination, with two separate effects on relative oral bioavailability, was found to fit these data best. A 69% lower bioavailability at treatment start was estimated, presumably due to initial malnourishment and malabsorption. Stagnation in miltefosine accumulation in plasma, hampering increased drug exposure, was related to the increase in cumulative dose (mg/kg/day). However, the allometric regimen increased exposure 1.7-fold in the first treatment week and reduced the time to reach the PK target by 17.4%.

conclusionsMiltefosine PK in children suffering from VL are characterized by dose-dependent non-linearities that obstruct the initially expected exposure levels. Bioavailability appeared to be affected by the cumulative dose, possibly as a consequence of impaired absorption. Despite this, allometric dosing led to a faster target achievement and increased exposure compared with conventional dosing.

Indexed as

Antiprotozoal AgentsLeishmaniasis, VisceralAdultAfrica, EasternChildHumansPhosphorylcholineAntiprotozoal AgentsmiltefosinePhosphorylcholine

Identifiers

PMID32780098
PMCPMC7566410
OpenAlexW3048539852

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.