First Child Receives Arpraziquantel
Merck, KGaA and the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium announced that the first preschool-aged child has been treated with arpraziquantel in an implementation research study in Uganda
The rollout in Uganda is part of the Consortium’s ADOPT program, aimed at integrating the new pediatric treatment into healthcare systems and preparing for its broader introduction across sub-Saharan Africa, starting with Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, and Senegal. This collaborative effort underscores the Consortium’s commitment to equitable and sustainable access to the new treatment, supporting global health goals. The study itself is: Introduction of Arpraziquantel Treatment for Schistosomiasis Control in Preschool-aged Children in Endemic Areas: a Small-scale Public Health Intervention Study (ADOPTpilot) [NCT06698510].
As part of the Consortium’s ADOPT program, the introduction of arpraziquantel is supported by the Ministry of Health in Uganda through an implementation research study in a mass drug administration setting for children aged two to five years. The overall aim of this ADOPT study led by Consortium partners, Unlimit Health (London, United Kingdom) and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Allschwil, Switzerland), is to identify routine practices for a wider adoption of the new medication into countries where schistosomiasis is endemic. Merck is the product supplier for this study. Beyond Uganda, introduction of arpraziquantel will be extended to other sub-Saharan African countries to start with Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania and Senegal.
Derived from praziquantel, the standard of care treatment for school-aged children and adults, arpraziquantel is a 150mg dispersible tablet, designed for preschool-aged children with an acceptable taste and withstanding the hot and humid conditions of tropical climates. Arpraziquantel was granted the positive scientific opinion by the EMA and included into the WHOs List of Prequalified Medicinal Products respectively in December 2023 and May 2024. Inclusion into the WHO’s List of Essential Medicines is expected in 2025. In parallel, technology transfer from Merck to Universal Corporation Ltd. (Nairobi, Kenya) is ongoing for planned future large-scale local production; new procurement and funding mechanisms are collaboratively defined for equitable and sustainable access to the new medication.
“With the successful introduction of arpraziquantel to preschool-aged children in the first African nation, we have reached a critical milestone in making treatments for schistosomiasis available to all age groups,” said Peter Guenter, Member of the Executive Board and CEO Healthcare at Merck. “In partnership with the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, Merck has been steadfast in its commitment to combating schistosomiasis. We remain focused on accelerating disease control efforts, with the ultimate goal of eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health threat by 2030.”
"This milestone marks a critical step in closing the treatment gap for young children and advancing efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem,” stated Peter Steinmann, co-lead of the Consortium's ADOPT program from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.
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