Ferroquine and artesunate in African adults and children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria: a phase 2, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, dose-ranging, non-inferiority study.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the recommended first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Ferroquine is a new combination partner for fast-acting ACTs such as artesunate. We aimed to assess different doses of ferroquine in combination with artesunate against uncomplicated P falciparum malaria in a heterogeneous population in Africa. METHODS: We did a phase 2, multicentre, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised, dose-ranging non-inferiority trial at eight African hospitals (two in Gabon, three in Burkina Faso, one in Benin, and two in Kenya). We recruited patients presenting with acute P falciparum monoinfection (1000-200,000 parasites per µL), and a central body temperature of at least 37·5°C or history of fever in the past 24 h. We assessed patients in two sequential cohorts: cohort 1 contained adults (bodyweight >50 kg) and adolescents (aged ≥14 years, >30 kg), and cohort 2 contained children (aged 2-13 years, 15-30 kg). We randomly assigned patients (1:1:1:1) to receive artesunate 4 mg/kg per day plus ferroquine 2 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, or 6 mg/kg, given double-blind once per day for 3 days, or ferroquine monotherapy 4 mg/kg per day given single-blind (ie, allocation was only masked from the patient) once per day for 3 days. We did 14 patient visits (screening, 3 treatment days and 48 h post-treatment surveillance, a visit on day 7, then one follow-up visit per week until day 63). The primary endpoint was non-inferiority of treatment in terms of PCR-corrected cure rate against a reference value of 90%, with a 10% non-inferiority margin, assessed in patients treated without major protocol deviations for parasitologically confirmed malaria. We assessed safety in all treated patients. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00988507, and is closed. FINDINGS: Between Oct 16, 2009, and Sept 22, 2010, we randomly assigned 326 eligible patients to treatment groups, with last follow-up visit on Dec 1, 2010. 284 patients (87%) were available for per-protocol analyses. At day 28, PCR-confirmed cure was noted in 68 (97%, 95% CI 90-100) of 70 patients treated with ferroquine 2 mg/kg plus artesunate, 73 (99%, 93-100) of 74 with ferroquine 4 mg/kg plus artesunate, 71 (99%, 93-100) of 72 with ferroquine 6 mg/kg plus artesunate, and 54 (79%, 68-88) of 68 with ferroquine 4 mg/kg monotherapy. The three dose groups of ferroquine plus artesunate met the non-inferiority hypothesis. The most common adverse events were headache in cohort 1 (30 [19%] of 162 patients) and worsening malaria in cohort 2 (23 [14%] of 164 patients); occurrences were similar between treatment groups. INTERPRETATION: Ferroquine combined with artesunate was associated with high cure rates and was safe at all doses tested, and could be a promising new drug combination for the treatment of P falciparum malaria. Ferroquine could also partner other drugs to establish a new generation of antimalarial combinations, especially in regions that have developed resistance to ACTs. FUNDING: Sanofi.

Ex vivo anti-malarial drugs sensitivity profile of Plasmodium falciparum field isolates from Burkina Faso five years after the national policy change.

BACKGROUND: The recent reports on the decreasing susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin derivatives along the Thailand and Myanmar border are worrying. Indeed it may spread to India and then Africa, repeating the same pattern observed for chloroquine resistance. Therefore, it is essential to start monitoring P. falciparum sensitivity to artemisinin derivatives and its partner drugs in Africa. Efficacy of AL and ASAQ were tested by carrying out an in vivo drug efficacy test, with an ex vivo study against six anti-malarial drugs nested into it. Results of the latter are reported here. METHODS: Plasmodium falciparum ex-vivo susceptibility to chloroquine (CQ), quinine (Q), lumefantrine (Lum), monodesethylamodiaquine (MDA), piperaquine (PPQ) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA) was investigated in children (6 months - 15 years) with a parasitaemia of at least ≥4,000/µl. The modified isotopic microtest technique was used. The results of cellular proliferation were analysed using ICEstimator software to determine the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. RESULTS: DHA was the most potent among the 6 drugs tested, with IC50 values ranging from 0.8 nM to 0.9 nM (Geometric mean IC50 = 0.8 nM; 95% CI [0.8 - 0.9]). High IC50 values ranged between 0.8 nM to 166.1 nM were reported for lumefantrine (Geometric mean IC50 = 25.1 nM; 95% CI [22.4 - 28.2]). MDA and Q IC50s were significantly higher in CQ-resistant than in CQ-sensitive isolates (P = 0.0001). However, the opposite occurred for Lum and DHA (P < 0.001). No difference was observed for PPQ. CONCLUSION: Artemisinin derivatives are still very efficacious in Burkina Faso and DHA-PPQ seems a valuable alternative ACT. The high lumefantrine IC50 found in this study is worrying as it may indicate a decreasing efficacy of one of the first-line treatments. This should be further investigated and monitored over time with large in vivo and ex vivo studies that will include also plasma drug measurements.