The use of paediatric artemisinin combinations in sub-Saharan Africa: a snapshot questionnaire survey of health care personnel.

Background: Paediatric drug formulations for artemisinin combination therapy (P-ACT) have been developed over the past few years and have been shown to improve the therapeutic management of young children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria. This process was however not equally paralleled by a timely adoption of P-ACT in national and international treatment recommendations. National malaria programmes in sub-Saharan Africa have not yet widely embraced this new therapeutic tool.

First results of phase 3 trial of RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in African children.

Background: An ongoing phase 3 study of the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of candidate malaria vaccine RTS,S/AS01 is being conducted in seven African countries.

Methods: From March 2009 through January 2011, we enrolled 15,460 children in two age categories--6 to 12 weeks of age and 5 to 17 months of age--for vaccination with either RTS,S/AS01 or a non-malaria comparator vaccine. The primary end point of the analysis was vaccine efficacy against clinical malaria during the 12 months after vaccination in the first 6000 children 5 to 17 months of age at enrollment who received all three doses of vaccine according to protocol.

Current status of the clinical development and implementation of paediatric artemisinin combination therapies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Timely treatment of infected children with artemisinin based combination therapies is an essential tool for the effective control and potential elimination of malaria. Until recently only tablet formulations have been available for the treatment of children leading to problems of swallowability, palatability and dosing. In consequence, paediatric drug formulations of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) have been developed, showing a clinically significant improvement of tolerability in young children and of their implementation is an increasingly important public health issue.

Evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of the RTS,S/AS01E malaria candidate vaccine when integrated in the expanded program of immunization.

Background: The RTS,S/AS01(E) malaria candidate vaccine is being developed for immunization of African infants through the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI).

Methods: This phase 2, randomized, open, controlled trial conducted in Ghana, Tanzania, and Gabon evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of RTS,S/AS01(E) when coadministered with EPI vaccines. Five hundred eleven infants were randomized to receive RTS,S/AS01(E) at 0, 1, and 2 months (in 3 doses with diphtheria, tetanus, and whole-cell pertussis conjugate [DTPw]; hepatitis B [HepB]; Haemophilus influenzae type b [Hib]; and oral polio vaccine [OPV]), RTS,S/AS01(E) at 0, 1, and 7 months (2 doses with DTPwHepB/Hib+OPV and 1 dose with measles and yellow fever), or EPI vaccines only.