Introduction

Artesunate-amodiaquine combination therapy has recently been chosen as the first line drug of choice for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in Ghana. However, there is still the key issue of how to improve compliance to this combination therapy to enhance case management and prevent resistance to these chosen antimalarials. This study seeks to assess the impact of compliance to Artesunate-Amodiaquine therapy on clinical and parasitological cure rates. Findings from this study will be made available to the National Malaria Control Programme and other stakeholders as practical information that may be beneficial to implementing policy change process from antimalarial monotherapy to a combination therapy in Ghana.

 

Progress of Study

This study has been approved by the Ghanaian-Dutch Collaborative Programme for Research Capacity Building in Ghana, and the study will start in September 2005.

Future Collaborations/initiatives

The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), Health Research Unit (HRU), Ghana, London School of Hygiene & Tropical (LSHTM), are collaborating with Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI, USA), GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Belgium).

The Primary aim of this collaboration is to conduct phase 2 and 3 studies for the development of the RTS,S/AS02 vaccine. The first trial is earmarked to start in September 2006

KHRC, Noguchi, NHRC and NIAID-NIH, USA have started some discussions on collaborations that will help characterise malaria epidemiology further in the Kintampo area, in preparation for testing new malaria vaccine candidates as they become available.

GSK/MMV/WHO: The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), Health Research Unit (HRU), Ghana, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical (LSHTM), have have started a study with the Medicine for Malaria Ventures (MMV, USA), WHO, and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK UK) have been discussing immediate future plans of KHRC’s collaboration in a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, study comparing the efficacy and safety of chlorproguanil-dapsone-artesunate versus artemether-lumefantrine in the treatment of acute uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in children in Africa.

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