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Short Course Primaquine for the Radical Cure of P. Vivax - Papua New Guinea

Feasibility of High Daily Dose Short Course Primaquine After G6PD Testing for the Radical Cure of Plasmodium Vivax Malaria

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05874271
Acronym
SCOPE
Enrollment
794
Registered
2023-05-24
Start date
2023-08-07
Completion date
2025-10-25
Last updated
2026-09-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

G6PD Deficiency, Vivax Malaria

Keywords

primaquine

Brief summary

Significant gains have been made in reducing the overall burden of malaria worldwide, however these have been far greater for Plasmodium falciparum than P. vivax. P. vivax remains a major obstacle to malaria control and elimination efforts, largely due to its ability to form dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) that allows it to escape detection and treatment. Importantly, they are susceptible only to 8 aminoquinolines such as primaquine. However, primaquine is associated with risk of haemolysis in individuals with a genetic condition, called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Additionally, the recommended 14-day prolonged treatment regimen is associated with poor treatment adherence, hence ineffective primaquine treatment. Innovative solutions to the radical cure of both the blood and liver stages of P. vivax are urgently required. The PNG National Department of Health has requested a pragmatic study of the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of implementing point-of-care G6PD testing followed by high-dose, short-course primaquine treatment regimens for patients with P. vivax malaria. This revised case management is to be combined with practicable enhancements to patient education, supervision, malariometric surveillance and pharmacovigilance. This will be a before-after longitudinal health facility-based study implemented at Napapar and Mugil health centres and Baro and Wirui clinics. A staged approach for the implementation of the revised case management strategy will be used, including patient education and counselling, community-based clinical review, with mixed methods evaluation.

Interventions

1. Point-of-care quantitative G6PD testing using G6PD STANDARD (SD Biosensor) prior to use of primaquine (Day 0) 2. Prescription of short course primaquine (7 mg/kg total) (Day 0): * PQ7 (1 mg/kg/day for 7 days) if G6PD activity greater than 70 percent * PQ14 (0.5 mg/kg/day for 14 days) if G6PD activity is 30-70 percent * PQ8w (0.75 mg/kg/week for 8 weeks) if G6DP activity less than 30 percent 3. Participant counselling at the health facility (Day 0): * Supervision of first dose of primaquine * Education regarding importance and risks of primaquine therapy and necessity to take primaquine with food 4. Community based clinical review on Day 3 (and Day 7 for the first 300 participants) to detect and manage gastrointestinal or haemolytic adverse effects of treatment and encourage adherence to full treatment regime 5. Improved malariometric surveillance and pharmacovigilance to support wider scale use of the revised case management

Sponsors

Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Ltd
Lead SponsorOTHER
Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
Papua New Guinea National Department of Health
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Menzies School of Health Research
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Melbourne
CollaboratorOTHER
Medicines for Malaria Venture
CollaboratorOTHER
PATH
CollaboratorOTHER
UNITAID
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Months to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with vivax malaria

Exclusion criteria

* Patients who are pregnant * Patients who are breastfeeding * Patients with a Hb \<8g/dL * Patients with a previous adverse reaction to primaquine * Patient with severe malaria

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Proportion of patients with P. vivax malaria who correctly receive all components of the revised case management package3 daysMeasured by completion of G6PD testing and the correct prescription of primaquine based on G6PD activity, completion of patients counselling and community based follow up on Day 3
Proportion of patients experiencing at least one Serious Adverse Event (SAE) during treatment.During treatment (up to 8 weeks)SAEs are collected during clinical review using a study-specific questionnaire
Proportion of patients experiencing at least one Adverse Event of Special Interest (AESI) during treatment.During treatment (up to 8 weeks)AESIs (haemolysis, methaemoglobinaemia and gastrointestinal discomfort) are collected during clinical review using a study-specific questionnaire

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Household costs per P. vivax episode3 daysThis will be assessed from a household cost survey on a subset of patients
Overall cost-effectiveness of changing policy if revised case management is effective18 monthsThis will be assessed from health system data collected throughout the study
Cost per episode of P. vivax malaria from the healthcare provider and societal perspectives18 monthsThis will be assessed from health system data collected throughout the study
Cost per component of the revised case management package18 monthsThis will be assessed from health system data collected throughout the study
If revised case management package is effective (significantly reduces the incidence of malaria), then the cost-effectiveness of implementing the revised case management as compared with usual care18 monthsThis will be assessed from health system data collected throughout the study
Proportion of CHWs who correctly act on early signs of haemolytic anaemia and GI events (i.e. refer patients for further medical review, instruct patient to discontinue treatment)3 daysThis will be assessed from clinical review data and study-specific questionnaire
Number of patients with an SAE who are identified by community or clinic staff follow-up and referred to hospital for further managementDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)This will be assessed by linking clinical review data, study specific questionnaire and SAE form
The proportion of patients eligible to receive PQ who had a SAE during treatmentDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)This will be assessed by linking enrolment data, clinical review, study specific questionnaire and SAE form
Prevalence of severe anaemia in patients presenting with fever before and after implementation18 monthsThis will be assessed by comparing the facility surveillance data before implementation with facility surveillance data after implementation
The proportion of patients with any AESI during treatmentDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)AESIs are collected during clinical review using a study-specific questionnaire
The proportion of patients with a gastrointestinal (GI) AESI during treatmentDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)AESIs are collected during clinical review using a study-specific questionnaire
The proportion of patients with an AESI related to haemolysis during treatmentDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)AESIs are collected during clinical review using a study-specific questionnaire
The proportion of patients an AESI related to methaemoglobinaemiaDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)AESIs are collected during clinical review using a study-specific questionnaire
Proportion of patients permanently stopping PQ before end of treatmentDuring treatment (up to 8 weeks)Discontinuation of PQ will be assessed using a study-specific questionnaire
The proportion of patients receiving correct treatment based on G6PD activity1 dayThis will be assessed by linking patients G6PD activity results measured during study enrolment with primaquine dose prescribed on the same day
Proportion of patients who were reviewed on Day 3 and Day 71 weekThis will be assessed by linking patients enrolment data with Day 3 and Day 7 clinical review data
Perception of and experience with new radical cure tools among health care providers and community members6 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews
Proportion of health care practitioners who comply with the revised radical cure treatment algorithm1 dayThe outcome will be assessed from patients' enrolment data
Proportion of patients receiving a SD Biosensor G6PD test1 dayThe outcome will be assessed from patients' enrolment data
Proportion of eligible P. vivax malaria patients receiving the correct dose of primaquine based on the result of the G6PD test1 dayThe outcome will be assessed from patients' enrolment data
Proportion of P. vivax malaria patients who are ineligible for daily primaquine and are incorrectly given primaquine (including infants, pregnant females and G6PD deficient patients)1 dayThe outcome will be assessed from patients' enrolment data
Proportion of P. vivax malaria patients that are reviewed on Day 33 daysThis will be assessed by linking patients' enrolment data with clinical review data
Proportion of P. vivax malaria patients that adhere to their prescribed primaquine regimen3 daysThis will be assessed by linking patients' enrolment data with clinical review data
Factors influencing acceptability and feasibility of the new radical cure tools among health care providers are identified3 daysThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews, observations and focus groups
Barriers and enablers of uptake and implementation at the sub-national levels are identified18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
Factors influencing compliance with G6PD testing and perceptions of new drug regimens and serious adverse events among health care providers are identified18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
Required knowledge, skills, and training to administer the revised case management and patient-counselling identified18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
Factors influencing the barriers and facilitators to patient adherence to primaquine after the rollout of the revised case management identified18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
Factors influencing the acceptability and feasibility of community-based clinical review at Day 3 of primaquine treatment identified.18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
Perceptions of the new radical cure tools and serious adverse events at the community level identified18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
Local acceptability of the revised case management algorithms among patients, their families, and healthcare workers established18 monthsThis will be assessed using stakeholder interviews and focus groups
The prevalence of P. vivax parasitaemia in patients presenting with fever before implementation versus after implementation18 monthsThis will be assessed by comparing cross-sectional data on n=200 patients (per facility) collected before implementation to the prevalence collected in n=200 patients (per facility) after implementation
The monthly incidence of confirmed symptomatic P. vivax malaria episodes (mono-infection or mixed) before implementation versus after implementation18 monthsThis will be assessed by comparing facility surveillance data before implementation with facility surveillance data after implementation
Cumulative risk of representation to the same clinic with symptomatic P. vivax malaria within 6 months18 monthsThis will be assessed by linking patients' enrolment data
Costs of implementing policy from a healthcare provider perspective, including health systems strengthening processes18 monthsThis will be assessed from health system data collected throughout the study

Countries

Papua New Guinea

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMoses Laman, Dr

Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORLeanne Robinson, Prof

Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORLeo Makita

Papua New Guinea National Department of Health

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORWilliam Pomat, Prof

Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 3, 2026