HIV Protease Inhibitors for the Prevention of Malaria in Ugandan Children

Summary

HIV and malaria are major causes of morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa and children bear the greatest brunt of both diseases. No single existing intervention is likely to control malaria in Africa. Rather, improvements in malaria prevention are likely to come from strategies that employ multiple proven interventions targeting different populations. HIV-infected children represent one of the most vulnerable subpopulations in these countries. It is possible that the use of protease inhibitor (PI) - based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-infected children living in areas of high malaria transmission could prevent malaria in this vulnerable population. An effective remedy that offers the possibility to further reduce malaria risk, such as PIs, is highly desirable. This study will determine whether a PI based ART regimen will reduce malaria among children living in a malaria endemic area of Uganda and receiving insecticide-treated bed nets (ITN) and TS. This study will compare two different ART regimens. Children enrolled in the study will start or continue to receive either standard Ugandan first line treatment ART regimen (NNRTI+2 NRTIs) or an ART regimen containing the HIV protease inhibitor (lopinavir/ritonavir +2 NRTIs) and followed for a period of 24 months.

Timeline

Start

2009-09

Primary completion

2013-01

Completion

2013-01

Publications

• Results Achan J, Kakuru A, Ikilezi G, Ruel T, Clark TD, Nsanzabana C, Charlebois E, Aweeka F, Dorsey G, Rosenthal PJ, Havlir D, Kamya MR. Antiretroviral agents and prevention of malaria in HIV-infected Ugandan children. N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 29;367(22):2110-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1200501.
• Results Ikilezi G, Achan J, Kakuru A, Ruel T, Charlebois E, Clark TD, Rosenthal PJ, Havlir D, Kamya MR, Dorsey G. Prevalence of asymptomatic parasitemia and gametocytemia among HIV-infected Ugandan children randomized to receive different antiretroviral therapies. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2013 Apr;88(4):744-6. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.12-0658. Epub 2013 Jan 28.
• Results Nsanzabana C, Rosenthal PJ. In vitro activity of antiretroviral drugs against Plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011 Nov;55(11):5073-7. doi: 10.1128/AAC.05130-11. Epub 2011 Aug 29.
• Results Ruel TD, Kakuru A, Ikilezi G, Mwangwa F, Dorsey G, Rosenthal PJ, Charlebois E, Havlir D, Kamya M, Achan J. Virologic and immunologic outcomes of HIV-infected Ugandan children randomized to lopinavir/ritonavir or nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor therapy. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2014 Apr 15;65(5):535-41. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000000071.
• Results Kakuru A, Achan J, Muhindo MK, Ikilezi G, Arinaitwe E, Mwangwa F, Ruel T, Clark TD, Charlebois E, Rosenthal PJ, Havlir D, Kamya MR, Tappero JW, Dorsey G. Artemisinin-based combination therapies are efficacious and safe for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in HIV-infected Ugandan children. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Aug 1;59(3):446-53. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu286. Epub 2014 Apr 23.
• Results Bartelink IH, Savic RM, Dorsey G, Ruel T, Gingrich D, Scherpbier HJ, Capparelli E, Jullien V, Young SL, Achan J, Plenty A, Charlebois E, Kamya M, Havlir D, Aweeka F. The effect of malnutrition on the pharmacokinetics and virologic outcomes of lopinavir, efavirenz and nevirapine in food insecure HIV-infected children in Tororo, Uganda. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2015 Mar;34(3):e63-70. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000000603.
• Results Achan J, Kakuru A, Ikilezi G, Mwangwa F, Plenty A, Charlebois E, Young S, Havlir D, Kamya M, Ruel T. Growth Recovery Among HIV-infected Children Randomized to Lopinavir/Ritonavir or NNRTI-based Antiretroviral Therapy. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2016 Dec;35(12):1329-1332. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000001318.
• Bangirana P, Ruel TD, Boivin MJ, Pillai SK, Giron LB, Sikorskii A, Banik A, Achan J. Absence of neurocognitive disadvantage associated with paediatric HIV subtype A infection in children on antiretroviral therapy. J Int AIDS Soc. 2017 Oct;20(2):e25015. doi: 10.1002/jia2.25015.

Drugs

Indications