Conditions: Malaria
Keywords: malaria,Malawi,pregnancy
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 900
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to test prevention strategies for pregnancy-related malaria. Researchers will compare different malaria treatments and treatment schedules which include chloroquine therapy (weekly doses versus being dosed twice during pregnancy for 3 days each time) to the standard practice of preventive treatment intervals in pregnancy (with the drug sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine given twice during pregnancy). Participants will include 900 pregnant women, who will be assigned to one of three treatment groups. Blood samples will be collected at every visit before birth and any time the participant is ill to determine if malaria is present. Pregnant women will be monitored during pregnancy and newborns will be assessed at birth and followed until about 14 weeks. Participant involvement in the study is expected to last about 12 months.

Detailed description:
In areas of high malaria endemicity, typical of much of sub-Saharan Africa, despite having achieved semi-immunity to malaria in adulthood, women become vulnerable to malaria infection during pregnancy, especially during their first or second pregnancy. They have increased rates of infection in the peripheral blood and high concentrations of parasites can be found in the placenta. On histological examination, mature asexual parasites, forms that are not usually detected in the peripheral blood, accumulate in the placenta. Pregnancy-specific variant surface antigens are responsible for the increased vulnerability of pregnant women to malaria because they are unrecognized by the immune systems of women who encounter them for the first time in their first pregnancy. In subsequent pregnancies, women develop immunity to these parasite surface antigens and the parasites are cleared by the host response. Plasmodium (P) falciparum infection during pregnancy has important health consequences for both pregnant women and their newborns. Adverse outcomes of pregnancy-associated malaria that have been documented in Malawi include maternal anemia, low birth weight (LBW), and increased infant mortality. The primary objective of the study is to compare weekly chloroquine prophylaxis and chloroquine intermittent preventative therapy (IPT) for malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) to the standard practice \[IPTp with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP)\] with respect to prevention of placental malaria. The secondary objectives are: to compare weekly chloroquine prophylaxis and chloroquine IPTp to the standard practice (IPTp with SP) with respect to prevention of malaria during pregnancy; to compare weekly chloroquine prophylaxis and chloroquine IPTp to the standard practice (IPTp with SP) with respect to prevention of the adverse maternal and newborn effects of pregnancy-associated malaria. The exploratory objective identify the vulnerable periods during pregnancy when malaria infection is more likely to cause placental infection, maternal anemia, and low infant birth weight. This is a randomized controlled trial to compare chloroquine as IPT or chloroquine as chemoprophylaxis to IPTp with SP. Women will be randomized after Screening and enrollment, and they begin the assigned treatment between Week 20 and Week 28 gestation. Specimens will be collected at every prenatal visit and any time the participant is ill to determine if malaria is present. Pregnant women will be monitored during pregnancy, and newborns will be assessed at birth and followed until they are approximately 14 weeks of age. Participants will be randomized to one of the following regimens: Chloroquine approximately 1,500 mg base over 3 days, twice during pregnancy (2 tablets on Day 0, 2 tablets on Day 1, 1 tablet on Day 2); Chloroquine base 600 mg (2 tablets) loading dose followed by 300 mg (1 tablet) orally once per week until delivery; SP 1500 mg/75 mg twice during pregnancy.

Arms:
arm 1: 300 subjects to receive a therapeutic dose of chloroquine (1,500 mg given over 3 days, 2 tablets on Day 0, 2 tablets on Day 1, 1 tablet on Day 2) will be administered twice during pregnancy at 20-28 weeks and at 28-34 weeks. arm 2: 300 subjects to receive a loading dose of chloroquine (base) 600 mg (2 tablets) at first administration followed by 300 mg of chloroquine base (1 tablet) every week. arm 3: 300 subjects to receive a therapeutic dose of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), (1500 mg sulfadoxine and 75 mg pyrimethamine (3 tablets)) administered twice during pregnancy at 20-28 weeks and at 28-34 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: Chloroquine intervention 2: Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Chloroquine tablets contain 300 mg chloroquine base per tablet. Dosages: Chloroquine 1,500 mg base over 3 days twice during pregnancy or Chloroquine 600 mg loading dose followed by 300 mg orally once per week. Intermittant preventative treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) doses will be administered between weeks 20-28 and weeks 28-34 gestation, 4 weeks apart. Participants randomized to IPTp with chloroquine will require their second and third doses of chloroquine after the initial dose given in the clinic and those assigned to chloroquine chemoprophylaxis will require weekly doses. intervention 2: Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine 3 tablets (1,500 mg sulfadoxine and 75 mg pyrimethamine) twice during pregnancy. Intermittant preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) doses will be administered between weeks 20-28 and weeks 28-34, 4 weeks apart.

Protocol document: