Pyrimethamine

In women living with HIV, preventive treatment with DHA-PPQ is a safe and effective strategy to prevent malaria during pregnancy, according to the final results of the MAMAH clinical trial. In women living with HIV, preventive treatment with DHA-PPQ is a safe and effective strategy to prevent malaria during pregnancy, according to the final results of MAMAH, a clinical trial funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation. The study, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, could help protect the health of the estimated one million pregnant women who suffer from a double infection with malaria and HIV every year. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malaria infection. Hence the recommendation to offer preventive treatment (IPTp) based on sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine (SP) to pregnant women living in malaria-endemic areas. The problem is that these drugs are incompatible with co-trimoxazole (CTX), an antibiotic given to people with HIV to prevent bacterial infections. "This means that the population most vulnerable to malaria infection and its consequences, namely pregnant women living with HIV, are also the least protected," explains ISGlobal researcher Raquel González, technical coordinator of the MAMAH project, led by Clara Menéndez, director of ISGlobal's Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Initiative. The aim of the project was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two other drugs: dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) to prevent malaria during pregnancy in women living with HIV. The research team conducted the trial in Gabon and Mozambique with more than 600 pregnant women taking CTX in addition to antiretroviral treatment for HIV. One group of pregnant women received DHA-PPQ and the other group received a placebo. Lower risk of malaria infection and disease Although there was no significant difference in malaria infection at the time of delivery, women in the DHA-PPQ group had a significantly lower risk of developing clinical malaria throughout pregnancy (almost eight times lower than the placebo group) and also a lower risk (almost half) of becoming infected. DHA-PPQ was effective in women taking different antiretroviral treatments. No serious side effects were observed, and DHA-PPQ had no effect on mother-to-child transmission of HIV. "We show that preventive treatment with DHA-PPQ is effective even in low malaria transmission settings," says Gonzalez. "Adding this strategy to malaria control tools could significantly improve the health of thousands of mothers and their babies, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, a region where an estimated one million women living with HIV are infected with malaria during pregnancy every year," she adds. "We congratulate the MAMAH team on these important results in the field of malaria research, and, in particular, in providing better health to pregnant women living with HIV in malaria-endemic areas," says Montserrat Blázquez-Domingo, EDCTP Senior Project Officer. "This study underlines the value of collaborative research that EDCTP supports and our focus on priority infectious disease affecting sub-Saharan Africa in populations often excluded from clinical trials -- such as pregnant women." The MAMAH study is part of the EDCTP2 Programme supported by the European Union (grant number RIA2016MC-1613-MAMAH).

BERWYN, Pa.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- AscellaHealth , a global healthcare and specialty pharmacy (SP) solutions company, announces that Tilde Sciences , specializing in the development and commercialization of specialty pharmaceuticals, has chosen AscellaHealth’s Specialty Pharmacy, Optime Care as its exclusive distribution, specialty pharmacy and hub/patient services partner. This selection is based upon their impressive track-record for seamlessly launching branded pharmaceutical programs for specialty and rare disease pharma/biotech manufacturers and their exceptional personalized patient care services and resources to support Daraprim®. Through the partnership, patients will experience uninterrupted access to this medication, with distinctive, tailored support programs implemented by expert care coordinators and innovative technology platforms to support custom patient communications, including educational support and interventions at key points in therapy that result in optimal compliance. Dea Belazi, president and CEO, AscellaHealth, says, “Tilde Sciences recognizes the value of our years of experience in understanding the unique needs of patients with rare and orphan diseases or complex chronic conditions, expertise that clearly differentiates our patient-centric, end-to-end solutions and offers a more ‘human touch’ for people facing chronic illness and uncertainty. Designed to address the unmet needs of clients and patients, our capabilities encompass all milestones throughout the product lifecycle and beyond, with an exemplary level of personalized care management customized for specific therapies and proven to result in better individual outcomes and outstanding compliance rates. Proprietary technology and patient engagement tools provide actionable data metrics for program optimization every step of the way.” This revolutionary patient support program goes well beyond a typical information hotline or static web information. Patients are the central point of focus for all services and programs which include individual care plans that address the ongoing care issues for patients, caregivers and families. Outreach is conducted during key points in therapy and technology tools support phone, email, text and mobile apps to effectively streamline communication and increase response rates. Throughout all stages of the patient journey, spanning program enrollment, welcome/benefits verification, prior authorization and financial assistance, care coordination, fulfillment and patient compliance, the personalized care of trained and skilled patient care coordinators is a hallmark of this approach. Akeel Mithani, CEO of Tilde adds, “access to medications in the US has become increasingly complex. This poses a particular challenge for patients suffering from rare and serious diseases. Time is of the essence in getting patients the medications they need to be well. At Tilde Sciences, our mission is to be on the forefront of identifying solutions that simplify access for critically ill patients. Our core belief is that people make the difference. We have selected AscellaHealth’s Specialty Pharmacy, Optime Care as our partner to service patients in need of our medicines. This was a decision we did not take lightly. Ultimately, we are confident that the people at AscellaHealth and Optime Care share our genuine care and concern for rare disease patients. We are thrilled to work together to simplify access to Daraprim®.” About AscellaHealth LLC AscellaHealth, a global healthcare and specialty pharmacy solutions organization, serving patients, life sciences manufacturers, payers and providers, offers a comprehensive portfolio of uniquely tailored, tech-enabled services supporting complex, chronic conditions or rare diseases that require specialty medications and/or cell and gene therapies. A recipient of numerous industry awards for innovation, including Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and Inc. 5000, AscellaHealth’s customized, patient-centric approach is built upon proprietary technology processes for end-to-end solutions to streamline the commercialization of specialty medications and proactively address unmet client needs, optimize clinical health outcomes and improve the quality of life for this patient population. AscellaHealth brings a rare and special perspective to all stakeholders. Visit www.AscellaHealth.com . About Tilde Tilde Sciences is a United States based biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and commercialization of specialty pharmaceuticals tailored for rare diseases with significant unmet needs. For more information visit https://www.tildesciences.com/ .