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Phase 4 Completed N=305 Randomized Treatment

Extended Duration Artemether-lumefantrine Treatment for Malaria in Children

Uncomplicated Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03453840 ↗
Enrolled (actual)
305
Serious AEs
0.7%
Results posted
Jan 2025
Primary outcomePrimary: AUC0-21d — 144; 205; 259; 318 hr*ug/mL
◆ Published Evidence
Emerging
12citations · ~4 / year
The Impact of Extended Treatment With Artemether-lumefantrine on Antimalarial Exposure and Reinfection Risks in Ugandan Children With Uncomplicated Malaria: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023 · Open access · High-confidence link

Summary

This project determines the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) of an extended artemether-lumefantrine (AL) dosing regimen in HIV-infected children on efavirenz (EFV)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) that is designed to improve the PK exposure and treatment efficacy of this artemisinins-based combination therapy (ACT) regimen. Our overarching goal is to inform the best treatment guidelines for young children in Africa. HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children were enrolled for intensive PK studies, as well as additional children for population PK studies to enhance association analyses with clinical outcomes.

Linked Publications (3)

  • The Impact of Extended Treatment With Artemether-lumefantrine on Antimalarial Exposure and Reinfection Risks in Ugandan Children With Uncomplicated Malaria: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
    Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023 · 12 citations · Open access · High-confidence link
  • Extended Treatment Duration of Artemether-Lumefantrine in Ugandan Children with HIV on Efavirenz-Based Antiretroviral Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Trial.
    Journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025 · 2 citations · High-confidence link
  • Persistent and multiclonal malaria parasite dynamics despite extended artemether-lumefantrine treatment in children.
    Nature communications · 2024 · 7 citations · Open access · Likely link

Outcome Measures

OutcomeResultp-value
PRIMARY
AUC0-21d
144; 205; 259; 318
PRIMARY
Recurrent Parasitemia Following Treatment by Day 42 (Recrudescence or New Infection)
19; 18; 80; 66
PRIMARY
AUC0-8h for Artemether
64.0; 71.7; 95.8; 78.6
PRIMARY
AUC0-8h for Dihydroartemisinin
109; 95.8; 241; 229
PRIMARY
Cmax for Lumefantrine
5065; 6027; 7236; 8450
PRIMARY
Cmax for Artemether
22.4; 23.0; 32.5; 27.3
PRIMARY
Cmax for Dihydroartemisinin
43.8; 34.9; 89.0; 87.9
SECONDARY
Number of Participants With Serious Adverse Events
0; 0; 2; 0

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1, All participants:

  • Residency within 60 km of the study clinics either at TDH or at MGH
  • Agreement to come to clinic for all follow-up clinical and PK evaluations
  • Provision of informed consent
  • Weight ≥6 kg
  • Presentation with uncomplicated falciparum malaria as indicated by positive smear for malaria parasites along with clinical evidence of infection (fever or history of fever in the past 24 hours)
  • Willingness to undergo intensive PK sampling and/or population PK sampling during episode(s) of malaria.

2 HIV-infected participants:

  • Confirmed HIV infection (positive rapid HIV test to be confirmed by Western Blot or HIV RNA after enrollment)
  • On stable EFV-based ART for at least 10 days prior to enrollment
  • Age 3 years to 18 years

3 HIV-uninfected participants:

  • Confirmed HIV negative test (negative rapid HIV test to be confirmed by Western Blot or HIV RNA after enrollment)
  • Age 6 months to 18 years

Exclusion Criteria

  • History of significant comorbidities such as malignancy, active tuberculosis or other World Health Organization (WHO) stage 4 disease
  • Current infection with non-P. falciparum species
  • Receipt of any medications known to affect CYP450 metabolism (except ART) within 14 days of study enrollment (see 4.2.2)
  • Hemoglobin < 7.0 g/dL
  • For the population PK study, prior treatment for malaria within 14 days of enrollment
  • For the intensive PK study, prior treatment for malaria within 28 days of enrollment
  • Signs or evidence of complicated malaria, defined as unarousable coma or any two of the following symptoms: Recent febrile convulsions, altered consciousness, lethargy, unable to drink, unable to stand/sit due to weakness, severe anemia (Hb < 5.0 gm/dL), respiratory distress, jaundice (see Appendix D)
  • History of toxicity to AL

The following medications are disallowed within 3 weeks prior to receiving study drug:

  • Carbamazepine
  • Clarithromycin
  • Erythromycin (oral)
  • Ketoconazole
  • Phenobarbital
  • Phenytoin
  • Rifabutin
  • Rifampin
  • Halofantrine
  • Any other medication known to significantly affect CYP450 metabolism.
  • Grapefruit juice should be avoided during the study due to its potential effects on CYP3A4.
View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03453840) and the linked publication. Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication. Informational only — not medical advice.

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