John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences 5K43TW012801-02

Informing optimal dosing of the future antimalarial, artemether-lumefantrine plus amodiaquine, in key neglected target populations of children with severe acute malnutrition and adults living with HIV

Award to Dr Clifford George Banda to study pharmacokinetics and safety of artemether-lumefantrine plus amodiaquine in children with severe malnutrition and adults with HIV in Africa, aiming to optimize dosing and combat malaria resistance.

Description

This award will allow Dr Clifford George Banda to characterise the pharmacokinetic and safety profiles of two long-acting artemisinin partner drugs, lumefantrine and amodiaquine, and their active metabolites when administered as artemether-lumefantrine plus amodiaquine (ALAQ) in African young children with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition as well as adults living with HIV and on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy. Dr Banda, Malawi’s first medical specialist in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, will further his career development by gaining skills in early phase clinical trial design and conduct in complex subpopulations, consolidating skills in clinical translation of pharmacology, and strengthening his research leadership. The project hypothesizes that severe acute malnutrition reduces absorption and bioavailability of lumefantrine, amodiaquine, and their metabolites, potentially leading to insufficient treatment and prevention of malaria recurrence. The study will also evaluate the impact of ALAQ on dolutegravir exposure in adults with HIV, aiming to optimize dosing strategies to combat antimalarial resistance in Africa.

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