Effectiveness of Artemisinin Combination Regimens in Falciparum Malaria

NCT ID: NCT00902811

Last Updated: 2009-05-15

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

600 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2008-12-31

Study Completion Date

2009-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Antimalarial drug resistance is increasing nearly everywhere in the tropical world, confounding global attempts to "Roll Back Malaria." South East Asia has the most resistant malaria parasites in the world. This has limited the options for treatment in this region.

Artemisinin-based combination therapy is now the recommended treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. The success of this policy change in practice will depend on the efficacy of the components of the combination used, the population coverage achieved, high levels of adherence to treatment, low cost of the drugs, and preferably the drugs in a combination treatment should be formulated in a single tablet, to prevent one drug being taken without the partner drug. Until recently there were only two artemisinin-based fixed combinations available, artemether-lumefantrine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine; and only the former has international registration. More fixed combinations are needed urgently.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Malaria in Myanmar:

In Myanmar, malaria is the number one cause of morbidity. According to the Department of Health (DoH) and WHO there are approximately 500,000 patients with malaria each year. About 80% of reported infections are due to Plasmodium falciparum and 20% are due to Plasmodium vivax. This is likely to be a severe underestimation. MSF-Holland alone treats already 250,000 slide positive malaria patients per year in an area of mixed endemicity covering a population of less that 1 million patients out of a total population of 54 million in the country.

Chloroquine was the first line treatment for falciparum malaria for the last five decades. In 1996 and 1998 MSF-Holland with support from the Wellcome Trust (Prof N. White) performed studies in the northern and western part of the country, in which very high in-vivo resistance levels to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine were demonstrated1,2. Combination treatment of mefloquine plus artesunate (loose tablets) \[MA(LT)\]and treatment with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) both proved highly efficacious (99-100%)3,4. The studies performed by MSF provided an important component of the evidence used to convince the health authorities that a change of national protocol was needed. In 2001, the DOH of Myanmar changed the national protocol for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria; a 3 day treatment of mefloquine-artesunate was chosen to become the first line treatment. Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and DP are also mentioned in the national protocol as effective treatment regimens, but there is a call in the protocol for more research of these treatments.

These changes in policy are a very good step forward and were widely respected. In practice, some problems remain.

MSF has implemented large malaria activities in Myanmar over the past decade. The programme has performed a diagnostic test for malaria for approximately 3,000,000 patients and approximately 1,500,000 patients have been treated with artemisinin combination treatment (ACT).

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Uncomplicated Falciparum Malaria

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

AM(LT)

Artesunate (Arsumax®, Sanofi)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

AM(LT)

Intervention Type DRUG

Artesunate (Arsumax®, Sanofi) 50 mg tabs given at 4 mg/Kg/day on day 0, day 1 and day 2 (total 12 mg/Kg) PLUS Mefloquine 250 mg base tabs given at 25 mg/Kg on day 0. Treatment is given in three equally divided daily doses to the nearest quarter tablet.

AM(FDC)

Artesunate-mefloquine fixed dose combination

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

AM(FDC)

Intervention Type DRUG

Artesunate-mefloquine fixed dose combination (artesunate 25mg/mefloquine hydrochloride 55mg, or artesunate 100mg/mefloquine hydrochloride 220mg), according to age-group.

AL

artemether 20 mg - lumefantrine 120 mg co-formulated tabs

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

AL

Intervention Type DRUG

Coartem®: artemether 20 mg - lumefantrine 120 mg co-formulated tabs (Coartem®, Novartis) given as six twice-daily doses over three days, according to weight-groups. The second dose should be taken 6 to 10 hours after the first dose, given at inclusion. Patients will be advised to take some fatty food (or encouraged to give breast feeding) before each dose is taken. Fatty food or milk will not be provided by the researchers.

DP

40 mg dihydroartemisinin/320 mg piperaquine tablets and Dihydropiperaquine 20mg/Piperaquine 160 mg tablets

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

DP

Intervention Type DRUG

40 mg dihydroartemisinin/320 mg piperaquine tablets and Dihydropiperaquine 20mg/ Piperaquine 160 mg tablets),. Treatment is given according to age groups. In the age group \<6yrs of age, a subdivision according to weight is made

AA (FDC)

Artesunate-amodiaquine fixed dose combination

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

AA(FDC)

Intervention Type DRUG

Artesunate-amodiaquine fixed dose combination (FDC) (Artesunate Amodiaquine Winthrop® Sanofi Aventis); Artesunate 25mg/amodiaquine 67.5mg; Artesunate 50mg/amodiaquine 135mg ; Artesunate 100mg/amodiaquine 270mg

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

AM(FDC)

Artesunate-mefloquine fixed dose combination (artesunate 25mg/mefloquine hydrochloride 55mg, or artesunate 100mg/mefloquine hydrochloride 220mg), according to age-group.

Intervention Type DRUG

AM(LT)

Artesunate (Arsumax®, Sanofi) 50 mg tabs given at 4 mg/Kg/day on day 0, day 1 and day 2 (total 12 mg/Kg) PLUS Mefloquine 250 mg base tabs given at 25 mg/Kg on day 0. Treatment is given in three equally divided daily doses to the nearest quarter tablet.

Intervention Type DRUG

AL

Coartem®: artemether 20 mg - lumefantrine 120 mg co-formulated tabs (Coartem®, Novartis) given as six twice-daily doses over three days, according to weight-groups. The second dose should be taken 6 to 10 hours after the first dose, given at inclusion. Patients will be advised to take some fatty food (or encouraged to give breast feeding) before each dose is taken. Fatty food or milk will not be provided by the researchers.

Intervention Type DRUG

DP

40 mg dihydroartemisinin/320 mg piperaquine tablets and Dihydropiperaquine 20mg/ Piperaquine 160 mg tablets),. Treatment is given according to age groups. In the age group \<6yrs of age, a subdivision according to weight is made

Intervention Type DRUG

AA(FDC)

Artesunate-amodiaquine fixed dose combination (FDC) (Artesunate Amodiaquine Winthrop® Sanofi Aventis); Artesunate 25mg/amodiaquine 67.5mg; Artesunate 50mg/amodiaquine 135mg ; Artesunate 100mg/amodiaquine 270mg

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Far-Manguinhos, Brazil Lariam®, Roche Coartem® DuoCotecxin, Holley Pharm Artesunate Amodiaquine Winthrop® Sanofi Aventis

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Age over 6 months and
* Weight ≥ 5 kg, and
* Slide-confirmed infection with Plasmodium falciparum (including mixed infections), and
* Asexual parasite density between 500 and 200,000/µl of blood, and
* Informed consent from a parent or guardian aged at least 18 years.

Exclusion Criteria

* General danger signs according to the WHO definition or
* Signs of severe/complicated malaria according to the WHO definition or
* Severe anaemia (haemoglobin \< 5 g/dL), or
* Known history of hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs, or
* Severe malnutrition (as defined by a weight-for-height below 70% of median and/or symmetrical oedemas involving at least the feet), or
* Concomitant febrile illness due to causes other than malaria with the potential to confound study outcome (measles, acute lower tract respiratory infection, otitis media, tonsillitis, abscesses, severe diarrhoea with dehydration, etc.; mild flu should not lead to exclusion) or
* History of psychiatric diseases, or
* Having received a full course treatment including MQ in the preceding 9 weeks or
* Having received any other antimalarials in the previous 48 hours.
Minimum Eligible Age

6 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Mahidol University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Oxford

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Disease Control, Department of Health, Myanmar

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Medecins Sans Frontieres, Netherlands

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Medecins Sans Frontieres, Holland

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Frank Smithuis, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Medecins Sans Frontieres, Netherlands

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Dabhine and Mingan Clinic

Sittwe, Rakhine State, Burma

Site Status RECRUITING

Myit Kyi Nar Clinic

Kachin, , Burma

Site Status RECRUITING

Myothugyi Rural Health Center, Bu Thee Daung

Maungdaw, , Burma

Site Status RECRUITING

Lashio Clinic

Shan, , Burma

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Burma

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Frank Smithuis, MD

Role: CONTACT

Phaikyeong Cheah, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Pyay Phyo Aung

Role: primary

Mya Nee Nyo

Role: primary

Arkar Linn Naing

Role: primary

Naing Nyo, MD

Role: primary

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Smithuis F, Kyaw MK, Phe O, Win T, Aung PP, Oo AP, Naing AL, Nyo MY, Myint NZ, Imwong M, Ashley E, Lee SJ, White NJ. Effectiveness of five artemisinin combination regimens with or without primaquine in uncomplicated falciparum malaria: an open-label randomised trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2010 Oct;10(10):673-81. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70187-0. Epub 2010 Sep 9.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 20832366 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

YNG0901

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.