An investigation into combined amorphous form of sulfadoxine, pyrimethamine and azithromycin

MPharm Malaria remains one of the top mortality causes in the sub-Saharan African region, especially among pregnant women and infants. Despite several measures being implemented within the affected areas such as the use of treated mosquito nets, sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine (SULPYR) as an intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp-SP) is still considered the standard prophylactic regimen for pregnant women. Recently, the WHO increased the regimen of IPTp- SP from three to four doses on a monthly interval, this recommendation poses a potential risk of toxicity and resistance to the drugs. An improvement towards this challenge is under clinical trial and consists of the inclusion of azithromycin (AZI), a macrolide antibiotic, to the current IPTp-SP treatment regimen. This will not only aid in the prophylaxis of malaria in pregnant women but will also assist in other pregnancy related infections. All three these drugs exhibit poor aqueous solubility; requiring high concentrations for oral administration to achieve therapeutic plasma concentrations.

Project details

Drug-based Strategies

Jan 2021

South Africa