A group of research experts have joined together to conduct a phase 3 clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of antimalarial treatments for women in their first trimester of pregnancy — an effort that they said has not been done before.
The Safety of Antimalarials in the FIrst TRimEster of pregnancy, or SAFIRE, consortium plans to test multiple antimalarial treatments. They plan to start by comparing the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine to pyronaridine-artesunate.
Artemether-lumefantrine is the only artemisinin-based combination therapy, or ACT, recommended by the World Health Organization for women in their first trimester of pregnancy, while pyronaridine-artesunate is an ACT recommended by WHO to treat malaria in the general population, but currently not recommended for pregnant women in their first trimester due to limited data.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
