Breakthroughs Blog: Child health

Malaria is one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases. Thanks to international efforts to develop and scale up prevention tools and treatments, significant gains have been made over the past few decades in fighting this dangerous disease. But challenges, such as growing drug and insecticide resistance, climate change, and disruptions from COVID-19, have hampered control efforts. While both malaria cases and deaths steadily declined from 2000 to 2019, since then, cases have been on the rise and reported deaths have not returned to pre-pandemic levels—indicating progress against the disease has stalled and underscoring the need for continued research and development of new tools.In recognition of World Malaria Day, test your knowledge of this deadly disease and the innovations being advanced to end malaria:

Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) last week announced $467,000 in funding to GlyProVac to develop a maternal vaccine that targets Escherichia coli, the bacteria mainly responsible for neonatal sepsis, which is the leading cause of death among infants and a particular challenge in low- and middle-income countries. The funding will specifically support the development of the vaccine candidate GPV02, which offers protection to newborns through the antibodies passed on by vaccinated expectant mothers in utero and through breast milk after birth. GPV02 uses a unique approach compared to other attempted protein-based bacterial vaccines because it involves previously undiscovered natural sugar modifications and uses BEMAP technology to allow the vaccine to imitate E. coli, preparing the immune system to recognize the bacterium in the case of future infection.Last week, the Advisory Group on Immunization Practices at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Valneva’s Ixchiq chikungunya vaccine for some travelers and laboratory researchers at risk of contracting the mosquito-borne virus. The United States records about 100 to 200 chikungunya cases a year in people infected abroad by the virus, which is mainly found in parts of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. The vaccine was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration last fall for adults—the first vaccine approved for chikungunya. CDC has indicated that it may later expand the recommendation for people living in US territories where the virus may spread.A new extensive, long-term analysis from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that COVID-19 vaccines induce long-lasting antibody responses, debunking previous claims that mRNA-based vaccine immunity wanes quickly. The researchers examined in over 8,000 samples collected over three years in New York City how antibody responses changed after infections, during the first series of vaccinations, during booster vaccinations, and during breakthrough infections. They concluded that the major reason for breakthrough infections is the virus evolving to evade immunity rather than waning immunity. The results will, hopefully, not only encourage people to continue to get vaccine boosters but also to continue research into new vaccines and viral variants.

Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. A phase 3 trial testing a new malaria drug could offer hope for addressing the burden of malaria in babies, which despite being a leading cause of death across Africa, is often underdiagnosed, mistreated, and not studied in this population. There are no malaria treatments for babies weighing under 11 pounds (about three months old or younger), whose cases also often go undiagnosed because malaria presents differently and can easily be mistaken for common childhood illnesses in children this young or they have not even been tested due to resource shortages. Clinical trials, including those for the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines, often exclude children under five months because of the assumption that mothers confer immunity. The ongoing trial, which is supported by the PAMAfrica Consortium and co-funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and Medicines for Malaria Venture, is expected to publish results early next year.The Novo Nordisk Foundation has announced a new initiative, developed with the University of Copenhagen, that will invest up to $260 million to create new or improved vaccines for serious respiratory diseases. It is the first global vaccines initiative to solely focus on how to produce immunity in the airway itself as a way to prevent airborne disease infection. The initiative will initially focus on candidates for tuberculosis, the flu, and Group A Streptococcus. The partners hope that the new project can help to address the rise of antimicrobial resistance, which is driven, in part, by the overuse or misuse of antibiotics to treat airway infections, as well as to address the high death toll globally from these diseases.The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recently adopted a positive scientific opinion for the investigational drug arpraziquantel for schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease that affects more than 240 million people globally, including 50 million preschool-aged children. There is no child-friendly schistosomiasis medication for preschool-aged children, despite safe and effective treatments available for both adults and school-aged children. The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has supported the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium’s development of the drug since 2013 and is now working with the consortium’s implementation research program to prepare for the introduction of the drug in endemic African countries to ensure equitable and sustainable access in the countries where it is most needed.

Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. A new phase IV observational study will test whether a novel approach to managing severe malaria, involving interim treatment with rectal artesunate, could address the challenge of treating those with severe cases in isolated rural settings far from a health facility. In the study, patients will be treated with artesunate rectal capsules at the community level and evaluated for clinical outcomes and then will receive follow up treatment with oral artemisinin-based combination therapies once they are well enough to swallow the medicine. The study, led by the newly created Severe Malaria treatment with Rectal artesunate and Arteminisin-based Combination Therapy [in remote settings] (SEMA ReACT) consortium, is intended to generate evidence to inform gaps in guidance on how to approach treatment when it is not feasible to transfer severely ill patients in timely manner to high-level health facilities as current guidance recommends.The results from a new study coordinated by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, and the Mycetoma Research Center in Khartoum found that the oral drug fosravuconazole is up to 85 percent effective in treating the neglected tropical disease mycetoma and has no side effects. Currently, mycetoma is treated with itraconazole, a drug which needs to be taken with food four times a day for a year, has a myriad of side effects, is expensive, and is not available in all endemic countries. In contrast, fosravuconazole, only needs to be taken once a day without food, is inexpensive, and already widely used to treat fungal nail infections—factors that enhance its suitability for widespread use in low-resource settings.The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) has been awarded around $3.07 million from the Research Investment for Global Health Technology Foundation to support an international clinical trial to evaluate three novel antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis. This infection affects over 3 million newborns every year, most of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. The trial, run by GARP and partners, is underway in Kenya and South Africa and will expand to more countries next year. The funding will also enable GARDP to collaborate with South Korean Jeil Pharma to explore options to optimize the manufacturing and approval of the novel antibiotics included in the regimens under study to ensure affordable prices and stable supplies of the drugs.