Alternative RUTFs for Treatment of Child Wasting

NCT ID: NCT06912620

Last Updated: 2025-04-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE3
• Total Enrollment: 2160 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-03-21
• Study Completion Date: 2026-03-31

Brief Summary

Acute malnutrition is the most life-threatening form of undernutrition. Moderate and severe acute malnutrition (MAM, SAM) are effectively treated with ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) but there is a need to lower the cost of treatment and improve treatment regimens to reduce risk of relapse MAM/SAM episodes following recovery. The currently used standard formulation of RUTF contains peanuts and dairy, which pose problems due to their high cost, the need to import ingredients to the Global South (in the case of dairy), and risk of aflatoxin (in the case of peanuts). Before alternative formulations of RUTF can be recommended, however, there is the need for data on the efficacy of these formulations on recovery rates and to what extent recovery is sustainable. Sustainable recovery implies a lower rate of post-treatment relapse.

The study objectives are as follows: (1) To assess the non-inferiority of soy-maize-sorghum (SMS-) RUTF and soy-based (S-) RUTF on treatment recovery to standard RUTF; (2) To assess the superiority of SMS-RUTF and S- RUTF on post-recovery relapse compared to standard RUTF; (3) To assess the costs of a treatment course of SMS-RUTF, S-RUTF, and standard RUTF; (4) To assess the effect of SMS-RUTF and S-RUTF on microbiome composition and intestinal inflammation

The investigators will conduct a facility-based, individually randomized controlled trial with three arms allocated in a 1:1:1 allocation ratio in 30 health facilities (Centre de Santé et Promotion Sociale [CSPS]) in Burkina Faso. The investigators will randomize 1080 children with MAM and 1080 children with uncomplicated SAM 6-59 months of age to receive treatment with one of the following RUTFs: (1) standard of care, milk- and peanut-based RUTF (control group); (2) SMS-RUTF free of milk and peanuts and high in fiber (intervention 1); or (3) S-RUTF free of milk and peanuts (intervention 2). Children will be enrolled upon presentation to facilities for MAM or uncomplicated SAM treatment. Follow up visits will be weekly during treatment for SAM children and bi-weekly during treatment for MAM children, and monthly for 3 months following discharge from treatment. The primary study outcomes include, among others, anthropometric recovery at discharge (a non-inferiority analysis) and relapse to MAM or SAM within the 3 months following recovery (a superiority analysis). The investigators will employ an activity-based micro-costing approach to collect cost data on the direct and indirect medical costs, opportunity costs to caregivers, personnel, and overheads associated with outpatient MAM or SAM treatment. Fecal samples will be collected from children at a subset of facilities (5 facilities, ~60 children per treatment arm), at enrollment (initiation of treatment), discharge from treatment, and 3-months post-discharge.

Conditions

Severe Acute Malnutrition; Moderate Acute Malnutrition; Wasting

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Standard RUTF

This is the control arm of the trial, in which children will receive the standard RUTF product for treatment of acute malnutrition

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standard RUTF

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

This is the control, the standard, currently used formulation of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), which contains dairy and peanut ingredients

Soy-based RUTF

This is an interventional arm of the trial, in which children will receive an alternative formulation, a soy-based RUTF

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Soy-based RUTF

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

This alternative formulation of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) is a peanut-free formula that includes dairy (milk powder) with added crystalline amino acids

Soy-maize-sorghum-based RUTF

This is an interventional arm of the trial, in which children will receive an alternative formulation, a soy-maize-sorghum-based RUTF

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Soy-maize-sorghum-based RUTF

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

This alternative formulation of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) is a peanut-free and dairy-free formula with added crystalline amino acids

Interventions

Soy-based RUTF

This alternative formulation of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) is a peanut-free formula that includes dairy (milk powder) with added crystalline amino acids

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Soy-maize-sorghum-based RUTF

This alternative formulation of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) is a peanut-free and dairy-free formula with added crystalline amino acids

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Standard RUTF

This is the control, the standard, currently used formulation of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), which contains dairy and peanut ingredients

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 6-59 months
• MUAC < 12.5 cm, or WLZ/WHZ < -2
• Absence of clinical complications or nutritional edema
• Pass the appetite test
• Accompanied by caregiver or legal guardian
• Caregiver or legal guardian consents to participate

Exclusion Criteria

• Acute malnutrition requiring hospitalization (presence of clinical complications, failure to pass the appetite test, or presence of bilateral pitting edema)
• Known allergy to any of the ingredients in the RUTF products
• Already enrolled in MAM or SAM treatment program
• Presence of physical abnormalities that make measurement of anthropometry impossible
• Caregiver has intention to move out of the study area within the next 6 months
• Children referred from in-patient facilities to continue in ambulatory care

• Minimum Eligible Age: 6 Months
• Maximum Eligible Age: 59 Months
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

AFRICSante

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Burkina Faso

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

International Food Policy Research Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Laeticia Toe

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé

Locations

Health centers localted in the region of Hauts-Bassins

Bobo-Dioulasso, , Burkina Faso

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Burkina Faso

Central Contacts

Rebecca Brander

Role: CONTACT

r.brander@cgiar.org

+1 (202) 862-5600

Lieven Huybregts

Role: CONTACT

l.huybregts@cgiar.org

Facility Contacts

Alain Hien, MSc, PhD

Role: primary

alain.hien1@gmail.com

70 96 07 25 ext. +226

Other Identifiers

2024-RUTF

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id