Experimental NIH Malaria Monoclonal Antibody Protective in Malian Children Mid-Stage Trial Shows Treatment Prevents Infection, Disease April 26, 2024

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/experimental-nih-malaria-monoclonal-antibody-protective-malian-children?utm_campaign=+60352828&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= One injected dose of an experimental malaria monoclonal antibody developed by NIAID was 77% effective against malaria disease in children in Mali during the country’s six-month malaria season, according to results published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Study authors say the Phase 2 trial results demonstrated for the first time that a single dose of a monoclonal antibody given by subcutaneous injection can provide high-level protection against malaria in children in an area of intense malaria transmission. The trial assessed L9LS in two dose levels, with 19% of the 300mg-dose group and 28% of the 150mg-dose group developing symptomatic malaria, providing protective efficacy of 77% and 67% against symptomatic malaria, respectively. Among children who received placebo, 81% became infected with Plasmodium falciparum, and 59% had symptomatic malaria during the six-month study period. The researchers are continuing clinical development of L9LS, focusing on other high-risk populations, such as infants and young children, children hospitalized with severe anemia, and pregnant women.