Authors: Akanni E. Olufemi, Jerry T. Thornthwaite, Ayankunle A. Ademola, Alli O.A.T
Development of antimalarial treatment capable of providing a permanent cure for malaria has been a herculean task for drug researchers. A trial of a novel, proprietary blend formulation (Triantimal™) was conducted in Osogbo, Nigeria following the exciting report from previous clinical trials with malaria infected babies, children, and adults over 10 years in Haiti. There were 127 children, ages 2-15, who were positive for Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) parasites, whose parents gave consent to participate in the study. Enrolled subjects were screened for malaria parasites, treated with Triantimal™ for 16 consecutive days and serums (n=112) and buffy coats (n=31) were collected on days 0, 5, 10, 16, 30, and 60. Of the 127 cases, 15 patients were lost to follow-up with 11 failures, three from one family suggesting non-compliance. No recurrences occurred within 30-60 days by being parasite free at 30-60 days and revealed an 86.2% no recurrence after 720 days. A recent new children study (n=51) also showed a 90.2% cure rate at 60 days with only one non-complaint patient. An adult study (n=21) showed a 100% cure rate at 60 days without any non-complaint patients. These data show for the first time a real possibility for a cure of malaria in Nigeria. The one-time, low dose, fast acting, extended treatment minimizes the ability of the parasites to develop resistance. Obtaining the serums and buffy coats, will allow for the study of humoral and (or) cell-mediated immunological mechanism(s) of permanent immunity.
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