Last Updated: 18/06/2024
Optimising dosing of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine for malaria preventive treatment in Malawian infants
Objectives
This project aims to develop optimised dosing regimens of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infancy (IPTi) by applying population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling techniques on data obtained from: – Evaluating the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of DP for IPTi, in a randomised-controlled trial, in infants born to Malawian women who received DP compared to SP for malaria prevention in pregnancy understanding age-related changes in piperaquine pharmacokinetics during infancy.
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), United Kingdom
The World Health Organisation recommends use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), administered with routine immunisation, for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infancy (IPTi) in areas of moderate to high transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is limited uptake of this recommendation and increasing resistance of malaria parasites to SP. Fortunately, another antimalarial drug, dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP), has shown higher protective efficacy than SP. However, there is paucity of evidence to guide its optimal dosing in infants. Additionally, IPTi is usually given to infants born to women who received SP or DP for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp). The impact of using DP for IPTp on subsequent metabolism and efficacy of DP in infancy is not well understood. This work will provide the much-needed evidence to inform DP dosing for IPTi, when administered with routine immunisation.
Aug 2021 — Jul 2024
$421,306
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