Preventing malaria in pregnant women with HIV

We published the main results of the MAMAH trial conducted in Gabon and Mozambique. The trial was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dihydroartemisin-piperaquine (DHA-PQ) as an alternative preventive malaria treatment for women receiving HIV treatment, for whom sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is contraindicated. The trial showed that DHA-PQ is safe and was associated with a reduced risk of P. falciparum infection (1). This drug combination could protect the health of around one million pregnant women with HIV who contract malaria every year.

Finding markers of perinatal deaths

We completed the MIBio study conducted in Mozambique to identify biomarkers of perinatal deaths. The project also contributed to establishing sustainable networks to address preeclampsia and prematurity in the region.

Evaluating a COVID-19 drug in pregnant women

We published the results of the COVID-Preg trial, the only completed clinical trial to evaluate a drug for COVID-19 in pregnant women. We performed a placebo-controlled trial to test hydroxychloquine (HCQ), which was recommended at the beginning of the pandemic for treating COVID-19. The drug proved to be safe, but although we observed a decrease in SARS-CoV-2 infections among women who received HCQ, the number of recruited women was not high enough to confirm a potential beneficial effect of the drug (2).

1. Gonzalez R et al. Lancet Infect Dis.
2. Gonzalez R et al. Acta obstet et gynecol Scandinavica