The purpose of this study is to determine whether Malarone ®, which is a drug approved to prevent malaria when taken daily, will still effectively prevent malaria if taken weekly.
In this study, two groups of volunteers will be exposed to malaria through the bites of infected mosquitoes. In one group, volunteers will be randomly assigned to one of 5 arms. Each of these arms will receive a different dose of Malarone®, a drug known to prevent malaria when taken daily. Each of these doses will be lower than the maximum approved dose of this medicine. The other group will not be treated with any drug that could prevent symptoms or infection. After exposure, both groups will be monitored for a period of approximately 3 months to see if they develop symptoms of malaria. Any subjects who do so will be treated with appropriate medications. Subjects in both groups will have their blood checked regularly during this period for the presence of malaria parasites. At the completion of the study, results will be analyzed to determine whether any of the doses of Malarone might effectively prevent malaria if taken weekly rather than daily.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
35
Volunteers will receive doses of atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone) or matching sugar pills.
2\) Procedure- Malaria Challenge- Volunteers will be exposed to bites of infectious mosquitoes with the intention of causing malaria infection. Volunteers infected with malaria will undergo approved treatments for malaria.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Prophylactic Efficacy of 3 Different Doses of Atovaquone/Proguanil (Malarone@) Given 1 Week Before Infectious Sporozoite Challenge Using the P. Falciparum Human Challenge Model.
Number of participants with prophylactic efficacy was determined by the absence of cases of malaria parasitemia, defined as microscopically detectable parasitemia by Giemsa-stained thick smears, in those receiving any dose of Malarone as compared to the control (no treatment) group
Time frame: Days 6-20
Measured Concentrations of Plasma Atovaquone With Determinations of T1/2.
Plasma concentrations (ng/ml) were used to determine the elimination half life (t1/2) of atovaquone (days).
Time frame: 7, 6, 5, and 1 day prior to challenge; on the day of the challenge; 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10and 14 days after the challenge; and on the day parasitemia develops.,
Measured Concentrations of Plasma Atovaquone With Determinations of Area Under the Curve
Plasma concentrations were used to determine the pharmacokinetic curves with determinations of area under the curve (AUC).The smallest AUC Day 0-6.5 associated with protection from detectable parasitemia, and the highest AUC Day 0-6.5 observed in any cases of malaria (prophylactic failures) were to be reported.
Time frame: 7, 6, 5, and 1 day prior to challenge; on the day of the challenge; 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10and 14 days after the challenge; and on the day parasitemia develops.,
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