Study tests new malaria treatment
A new study has tested the safety and efficacy of ivermectin, a parasite medication, paired with ACTs (artemisinin-based combination therapies, which are recommended for malaria), to treat malaria while killing parasites and mosquitoes.
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in the UK worked in partnership with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other colleagues across the globe to perform a randomised controlled trial in western Kenya.
The study, which was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found that multiple high doses of ivermectin, paired with a standard ACT, can kill mosquitoes feeding on humans for at least a month after treatment.
The researchers believe adding ivermectin to antimalarials could cut malaria prevalence by half, and help eliminate the disease in certain regions. “This is the first study to show the safety and efficacy of multiple high doses of ivermectin on mosquito mortality,” said Menno Smit of LSTM. “Despite these encouraging findings, further rigorous safety and efficacy trials in younger age groups are needed before high-dose ivermectin can be administered at scale.”