Artesunate is an antimalarial drug that has been shown to be effective in treating malaria when used in combination with other drugs. Combination therapy is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the development of drug-resistant strains of malaria [1].

The benefits of using artesunate in combination therapy are numerous. Firstly, combination therapy is more effective in treating malaria than using a single drug alone [2]. The combination of artesunate with other antimalarial drugs has been shown to reduce the duration of fever and parasitemia in patients with uncomplicated malaria [3].

Secondly, the use of artesunate in combination therapy can help to prevent the development of drug-resistant strains of malaria. This is because using a combination of drugs with different mechanisms of action makes it more difficult for the malaria parasite to develop resistance to all the drugs at once [2].

Thirdly, artesunate has a rapid onset of action, which makes it particularly useful in the treatment of severe malaria. When used in combination with other drugs, artesunate has been shown to reduce mortality rates in patients with severe malaria [3].

Finally, the use of artesunate in combination therapy is cost-effective. Although artesunate is more expensive than some other antimalarial drugs, its effectiveness in combination therapy means that it can reduce the overall cost of treating malaria by reducing the need for hospitalization and the risk of developing drug-resistant strains of malaria [2].

In conclusion, the benefits of using artesunate in combination therapy include increased effectiveness in treating malaria, prevention of drug-resistant strains of malaria, rapid onset of action in severe malaria cases, and cost-effectiveness.

Sources:
[1] https://www.drugpatentwatch.com/p/tradename/ARTESUNATE
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1087214/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19588433/