Doxycycline for Malaria Chemoprophylaxis and Treatment: Report from the CDC Expert Meeting on Malaria Chemoprophylaxis

Doxycycline, a synthetically derived tetracycline, is a partially efficacious causal prophylactic (liver stage of Plasmodium) drug and a slow acting blood schizontocidal agent highly effective for the prevention of malaria. When used in conjunction with a fast acting schizontocidal agent, it is also highly effective for malaria treatment. Doxycycline is especially useful as a prophylaxis in areas with chloroquine and multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Although not recommended for pregnant women and children < 8 years of age, severe adverse events are rarely reported for doxycycline. This report examines the evidence behind current recommendations for the use of doxycycline for malaria and summarizes the available literature on its safety and tolerability

Army Antimalarial Drug Development: An Advanced Development Case Study for Tafenoquine

Abstract Malaria is classified as a top-tier infectious disease threat associated with a high risk for mortality among U.S. service members deployed overseas. As malarial drug resistance degrades the efficacy of current gold standard drugs for malarial prophylaxis and treatment, it is vitally important to maintain a robust drug pipeline to discover and develop improved, next-generation antimalarial prevention and treatment tools. The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA) manages the medical product development of the malarial drug tafenoquine for malarial prophylaxis to address the threat to U.S. service members. Tafenoquine is an effective prophylactic drug against all parasite life cycle stages and all malaria species that infect humans. Thus, it provides broad capabilities in a single drug for malarial prophylaxis and treatment. Partnerships with industry are a crucial part of USAMMDA’s medical product development strategy, by leveraging their drug development experience and manufacturing capabilities to achieve licensure and commercial availability. Additionally, these partnerships capitalize on expertise in the commercial market and help ensure that USAMMDA successfully translates a Department of Defense capability gap into a commercially available product. This article will highlight the strategies used to move this critical antimalarial drug through the development pipeline.</jats:p