EDCTP joins the world to commemorate World Malaria Day, a day of reinforced commitment to the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. This year's theme is Counting Malaria Out, referring to counting down the days to the year 2010. According to the Abuja declaration, in 2010 the malaria mortality for Africa's people should be halved. EDCTP continues to focus its efforts on sub-Saharan Africa where the burden of malaria is heaviest (this continent accounts for 85% of deaths caused by malaria). The Partnership aims to count malaria out by supporting research on treatment and vaccine development. Currently EDCTP is funding malaria clinical trials worth over 26 million euros and more clinical trials projects are in the pipeline.
How does EDCTP count out malaria?
EDCTP's mandate is to evaluate and coordinate the malaria clinical research activities that are funded by the European national programmes to ensure these activities become a group effort. The aim is to increase the number of European countries involved in malaria vaccine and treatment clinical trials and to expand collaborations with and among African countries, while at the same time strengthening the capacity in African countries to conduct these trials.
Malaria vaccines
Vaccines are at the centre of public health intervention. In addition, as an effective vaccine is likely to benefit those in resource constraint countries, public funding will remain one of the most important catalysts of development of such a vaccine. In its effort to ensure that promising vaccines go beyond the discovery phase and will actually enter the market in developing countries, EDCTP funds malaria vaccines clinical trials in sub-Saharan countries.
EDCTP supported malaria vaccine research
Fostering research capacity, networking and project management through phase I-IIB clinical trials of candidate malaria vaccine GMZ2 Countries involved: Burkina Faso, Gabon, The Gambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Denmark and Germany
Malaria treatment
Effective and affordable drugs available to treat malaria in developing countries became a severe limitation following the development of resistance against chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Improvement has been achieved with the increasing development of artemisinin based combination therapies.
As EDCTP recognises that the levels of malaria control that are needed may not be achieved with the use of single interventions, priority will be given to the development of combined strategies against uncomplicated and severe malaria. Additionally, as children and pregnant women are disproportionately affected by the disease, development of effective treatment for these groups is especially encouraged.
EDCTP supported malaria treatment research
Multicentre clinical trials
* Evaluation of 4 artemisinin-based combinations for treating uncomplicated malaria in African children (Uganda, Nigeria, Gambia, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Rwanda, United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, France, Denmark)
* Intravenous artesunate for severe malaria in African children (Gambia, Malawi, Ghana, Gabon, Kenya, United Kingdom, Austria, Germany)
* Safe and efficacious artemisinin-based combination treatments for African pregnant women with malaria (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi,
Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom)
* Evaluation of alternative antimalarial drugs to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) in the context of insecticide treated nets (Benin, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Austria, France, Germany and Spain)
* Optimisation of the existing dose and regimen of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy in the context of high coverage of insecticide treated nets and highly seasonal malaria transmission (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, The Gambia, Zimbabwe, Austria, Denmark and United Kingdom)
Senior Fellowships
* Assessment of the Public Health Benefit of artemisinin based combination therapies for uncomplicated malaria treatment (Mali)
* Understanding the mechanism of piperaquine resistance (Kenya) Safety of artemisinin derivatives-based combination therapy in children with uncomplicated malaria and population-based pharmacovigilance: a capacity strengthening proposal for pharmacovigilance of antimalarial drugs in Africa (Uganda)
* Understanding the mechanisms underlying the difference in susceptibility to malaria in an area of hyperendemic malaria in Burkina Faso: The potential role of regulatory T cells (Burkina Faso)
* Evaluation and implementation of high throughput PCR-based method for diagnosis and measurement of P. falciparum parasitaemia in clinical trials (The Gambia)
* A Pilot Study of the Implementation of Seasonal Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Community Participation (Senegal)
* Assessment of functionality of antibodies that associate with protection from clinical malaria using the in-vitro P.falciparum growth inhibition assay (Ghana)
* Validation of New Biomarkers for Monitoring Plasmodium falciparum Reduced Susceptibility/Tolerance or Resistance to Artemisinin Derivatives and Partner Drugs (Nigeria)
* Identification of Plasmodium falciparum parasite virulence markers for the evaluation of the impact of malaria control intervention according to the local parasite populations (Cameroon)
* Intensive safety monitoring of antimalarial and antiretroviral drugs in pregnancy (Mozambique)
* Host immunogenetic factors involved in the susceptibility to malaria in sympatric ethnic groups (Dogon and Fulani, Mali)
* Understanding the mechanism of resistance to lumefantrine by Plasmodium falciparum (Kenya)
* Investigating the effects of inactive CYP2C19 alleles on chlorproguanil pharmacokinetics in adults and in children with mild malaria following CD treatment (The Gambia)
More information on malaria and World Malaria Day: World Malaria Day
2009 website <http://www.rbm.who.int/worldmalariaday>
Download here the EDCTP World Malaria Day 2009 factsheet
<http://www.edctp.org/fileadmin/documents/World_Malaria_Day_2009_fact_sheet.pdf> (PDF)
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Daniela Pereira
mailto:Pereira@edctp.org