Intermittent Preventive Treatment With Azithromycin-containing Regimens in Pregnant Women in Papua New Guinea

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether repeated courses of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) in combination with azithromycin given at Antenatal Clinic, leads to lower rates of low birth weight deliveries (\<2.5 kg) among Papua New Guinean women, than the current standard treatment of SP and chloroquine.

Timeline

Start

2009-11

Primary completion

2012-12

Completion

2013-01

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper SPAZ reduced LBW (risk ratio [RR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60-0.91, P = 0.005; PMID 25591391 ↗

Publications

• Background Steketee RW, Nahlen BL, Parise ME, Menendez C. The burden of malaria in pregnancy in malaria-endemic areas. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2001 Jan-Feb;64(1-2 Suppl):28-35. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2001.64.28.
• Background Guyatt HL, Snow RW. The epidemiology and burden of Plasmodium falciparum-related anemia among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2001 Jan-Feb;64(1-2 Suppl):36-44. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2001.64.36.
• Background Brabin B, Piper C. Anaemia- and malaria-attributable low birthweight in two populations in Papua New Guinea. Ann Hum Biol. 1997 Nov-Dec;24(6):547-55. doi: 10.1080/03014469700005312.
• Background Benet A, Khong TY, Ura A, Samen R, Lorry K, Mellombo M, Tavul L, Baea K, Rogerson SJ, Cortes A. Placental malaria in women with South-East Asian ovalocytosis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2006 Oct;75(4):597-604.
• Background Allen SJ, Raiko A, O'Donnell A, Alexander ND, Clegg JB. Causes of preterm delivery and intrauterine growth retardation in a malaria endemic region of Papua New Guinea. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 1998 Sep;79(2):F135-40. doi: 10.1136/fn.79.2.f135.
• Background Schultz LJ, Steketee RW, Macheso A, Kazembe P, Chitsulo L, Wirima JJ. The efficacy of antimalarial regimens containing sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and/or chloroquine in preventing peripheral and placental Plasmodium falciparum infection among pregnant women in Malawi. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1994 Nov;51(5):515-22. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1994.51.515.
• Background Parise ME, Ayisi JG, Nahlen BL, Schultz LJ, Roberts JM, Misore A, Muga R, Oloo AJ, Steketee RW. Efficacy of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for prevention of placental malaria in an area of Kenya with a high prevalence of malaria and human immunodeficiency virus infection. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1998 Nov;59(5):813-22. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1998.59.813.
• Background Verhoeff FH, Brabin BJ, Chimsuku L, Kazembe P, Russell WB, Broadhead RL. An evaluation of the effects of intermittent sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine treatment in pregnancy on parasite clearance and risk of low birthweight in rural Malawi. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1998 Mar;92(2):141-50. doi: 10.1080/00034989859979.
• Background Shulman CE, Dorman EK, Cutts F, Kawuondo K, Bulmer JN, Peshu N, Marsh K. Intermittent sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine to prevent severe anaemia secondary to malaria in pregnancy: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 1999 Feb 20;353(9153):632-6. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(98)07318-8.
• Background Casey GJ, Ginny M, Uranoli M, Mueller I, Reeder JC, Genton B, Cowman AF. Molecular analysis of Plasmodium falciparum from drug treatment failure patients in Papua New Guinea. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004 Mar;70(3):251-5.
• Background ter Kuile FO, van Eijk AM, Filler SJ. Effect of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance on the efficacy of intermittent preventive therapy for malaria control during pregnancy: a systematic review. JAMA. 2007 Jun 20;297(23):2603-16. doi: 10.1001/jama.297.23.2603.
• Background Kalilani L, Mofolo I, Chaponda M, Rogerson SJ, Alker AP, Kwiek JJ, Meshnick SR. A randomized controlled pilot trial of azithromycin or artesunate added to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine as treatment for malaria in pregnant women. PLoS One. 2007 Nov 14;2(11):e1166. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001166.
• Unger HW, Bleicher A, Ome-Kaius M, Aitken EH, Rogerson SJ. Associations of maternal iron deficiency with malaria infection in a cohort of pregnant Papua New Guinean women. Malar J. 2022 May 26;21(1):153. doi: 10.1186/s12936-022-04177-8.
• Unger HW, Laurita Longo V, Bleicher A, Ome-Kaius M, Karl S, Simpson JA, Karahalios A, Aitken EH, Rogerson SJ. The relationship between markers of antenatal iron stores and birth outcomes differs by malaria prevention regimen-a prospective cohort study. BMC Med. 2021 Oct 5;19(1):236. doi: 10.1186/s12916-021-02114-1.
• Aitken EH, Damelang T, Ortega-Pajares A, Alemu A, Hasang W, Dini S, Unger HW, Ome-Kaius M, Nielsen MA, Salanti A, Smith J, Kent S, Hogarth PM, Wines BD, Simpson JA, Chung AW, Rogerson SJ. Developing a multivariate prediction model of antibody features associated with protection of malaria-infected pregnant women from placental malaria. Elife. 2021 Jun 29;10:e65776. doi: 10.7554/eLife.65776.
• Ome-Kaius M, Karl S, Wangnapi RA, Bolnga JW, Mola G, Walker J, Mueller I, Unger HW, Rogerson SJ. Effects of Plasmodium falciparum infection on umbilical artery resistance and intrafetal blood flow distribution: a Doppler ultrasound study from Papua New Guinea. Malar J. 2017 Jan 19;16(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12936-017-1689-z.
• Ome-Kaius M, Unger HW, Singirok D, Wangnapi RA, Hanieh S, Umbers AJ, Elizah J, Siba P, Mueller I, Rogerson SJ. Determining effects of areca (betel) nut chewing in a prospective cohort of pregnant women in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015 Aug 19;15:177. doi: 10.1186/s12884-015-0615-z.
• Teo A, Hasang W, Randall LM, Unger HW, Siba PM, Mueller I, Brown GV, Rogerson SJ. Malaria preventive therapy in pregnancy and its potential impact on immunity to malaria in an area of declining transmission. Malar J. 2015 May 26;14:215. doi: 10.1186/s12936-015-0736-x.
• Unger HW, Ome-Kaius M, Wangnapi RA, Umbers AJ, Hanieh S, Suen CS, Robinson LJ, Rosanas-Urgell A, Wapling J, Lufele E, Kongs C, Samol P, Sui D, Singirok D, Bardaji A, Schofield L, Menendez C, Betuela I, Siba P, Mueller I, Rogerson SJ. Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin for the prevention of low birthweight in Papua New Guinea: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Med. 2015 Jan 16;13:9. doi: 10.1186/s12916-014-0258-3.

Drugs

Indications