A serious worldwide examine led by Liverpool Faculty of Tropical Medication (LSTM) has confirmed that the drug used to forestall malaria in being pregnant continues to guard infants’ well being, regardless of malaria parasites growing excessive ranges of drug resistance.
The examine, revealed in The Lancet Infectious Ailments, analyzed information from 122 research involving almost 150,000 pregnant ladies throughout sub-Saharan Africa on the consequences of utilizing sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for the prevention of malaria in being pregnant.
In 2023, an estimated 12.4 million pregnant ladies in Africa have been contaminated with malaria. The illness will increase the chance of miscarriage, extreme maternal anemia, and infants being born too small or too early. SP has lengthy been a key drug for shielding pregnant ladies from the consequences of malaria an infection. Nonetheless, the unfold of resistant malaria strains has raised issues about its ongoing worth.
Researchers discovered that whereas SP turns into much less efficient at stopping malaria infections as resistance will increase, it nonetheless has different helpful results for growing pregnancies. Throughout all resistance ranges, SP decreased the chance of low beginning weight by about 25% to 45%, with no proof that larger resistance weakened these results. These advantages seem to work by means of mechanisms separate from stopping malaria and could also be a results of SP being a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
Dr. Anna Maria van Eijk, who led the examine from LSTM’s Division of Medical Sciences, stated, “Even in areas the place this drug’s skill to forestall malaria is compromised, it nonetheless protects infants from being born too small by means of helpful results that aren’t associated to malaria. That is an extremely necessary outcome for maternal and youngster well being.”
These findings present important steerage for well being care suppliers and policymakers. Crucially, this new evaluation confirms that SP ought to proceed for use in antenatal care packages due to its advantages for beginning outcomes. The analysis additionally discovered no proof of hurt from continued SP use in being pregnant.
Professor Feiko Ter Kuile, joint senior creator and Professor of Tropical Medication at LSTM, stated, “These findings present essential steerage for malaria management packages. Whereas we should proceed our seek for simpler alternate options, this analysis reveals that present prevention methods proceed to supply necessary advantages for maternal and youngster well being.”
SP stays the one drug really useful by the World Well being Group (WHO) for malaria prevention throughout being pregnant in Africa. Whereas the findings are reassuring, the researchers stress that there’s nonetheless an pressing have to develop new medicine, vaccines, or different methods to guard pregnant ladies from malaria and enhance outcomes for moms and infants. In addition they highlighted the pressing want to higher perceive the malaria-independent results of SP.
Extra data:
Anna Maria van Eijk et al, The influence of sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine resistance on the effectiveness of intermittent preventive remedy for the prevention of malaria in being pregnant in Africa: an up to date systematic overview and meta-analysis, The Lancet Infectious Ailments (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00219-1
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Malaria prevention drug nonetheless protects infants, even when malaria parasites are drug-resistant (2025, July 17)
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