Assessing the safety and tolerability of five months’ repeated doses of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine when used for seasonal malaria chemoprevention in children under five in Uganda

Authors: Anthony Nuwa, Chukwudi A Nnaji, Richard Kajubi, Kevin Baker, Musa Odongo, Maureen Nakirunda, Tonny Kyagulanyi, Jane Nabakooza, David Salandini, Jimmy Opigo, Godfrey Magumba, Jane Achan, Damian Rutazaana, Christian Rassi, Katherine Theiss-Nyland, James Tibenderana, Jane Nabakooza, Jimmy Opigo

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine are both safe when used for seasonal malaria chemoprevention among children under five in Karamoja region, Uganda.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SPAQ) is recommended for children at risk of severe malaria living in areas of seasonal transmission. The safety of four SPAQ courses per high transmission season is well documented. There is comparatively less evidence about the safety of giving five courses of SPAQ per SMC round. A potential alternative SMC drug regimen is dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP), but there is a paucity of data on its safety when administered intermittently for SMC. This study evaluated the safety and tolerability of five cycles of SMC with SPAQ versus DP in children under five in Karamoja region, Uganda.

This poster was presented at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH).