ACT in Pregnancy

Malaria Journal has just published a meta-analysis of all the clinical trials that have examined the unwanted effects of using artemisinin combination therapy in pregnant women with malaria. The conclusion? Not enough studies have been done to know for sure if there are negative consequences for the developing fetus.

While traveling in southeast Asia last summer, I interviewed Francois Nosten of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, who has conducted most of the handful of trials that have looked at ACT use during pregnancy. He complained that there was simply no financial support from donors for such research. "These are precisely the kind of studies that the World Health Organization ought to be financing," he complained. This latest study echoes that sentiment.