Antibiotic-based combination therapy for severe malaria and bacterial bloodstream infections
The FACT project is developing and testing a new treatment approach that can treat severe malaria and bacterial bloodstream infections at the same time.
The treatment is a novel antibiotic-based combination therapy that combines two licensed drugs and one in late-stage development:
- Artesunate: standard antimalarial for severe malaria.
- Fosmidomycin: A drug in late-stage development with activity against malaria parasites and a range of bacteria.
- Clindamycin: A licensed drug with activity against malaria parasites and a range of bacteria.
With this triple combination therapy that work in different ways, the FACT approach aims to attack malaria parasites more effectively while also providing protection against important bacterial infections. Using several medicines with different ways of working may also reduce the opportunity for parasites to become resistant to treatment while reducing the time children need to remain in hospital, from up to six days to four days.
Background:
Severe malaria is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment. However, malaria is not always the only cause of severe illness. The symptoms of malaria can be very similar to those of bacterial infections in the bloodstream, making it difficult for health workers to know what is causing a child’s illness.
This is particularly challenging in areas where malaria is common. A positive malaria test does not necessarily mean that malaria is the main cause of illness, as malaria parasites can also be found in otherwise healthy people living in malaria-endemic areas.
In many cases, children who are treated for severe malaria may also have a bacterial infection that needs to be treated at the same time. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children with suspected severe malaria receive both injectable artesunate, the standard treatment for severe malaria, and antibiotics to treat possible bacterial infections.
“Our Department of Clinical Pharmacology will play an important role in building sustainable capacity for pharmacokinetic trial conduct in Central Africa. We will support the training and development of young scientists while strengthening human resources, infrastructure, and institutional systems. Our goal is not only to build expertise, but to establish lasting structures and capabilities that enable high-quality clinical research to be conducted locally and sustainably.”