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CompletedNCT02654912CORE ZambiaUpdated Feb 4, 2021

Community-led Responses for Elimination: Controlled Trial of Reactive Case Detection Versus Reactive Drug Administration

A Phase 4 interventional study of Reactive Focal Drug Administration in Malaria, sponsored by PATH. Completed at 1 site in Zambia. Open to participants aged 3 Months and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-02-04.

Sponsored by PATH · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
8,682
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
3 Months and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

This study is designed to compare the effectiveness of reactive focal drug administration (RFDA) using dihydroartemisinin+piperaquine (DHAP) versus reactive focal test and treat (RFTAT) using artemether+lumefantrine (AL) as a routine process for identifying and eliminating malaria transmission as measured through achieving zero seropositivity in children under five in Southern Province, Zambia. These two strategies are potential candidates for expanded malaria operational surveillance and elimination for low malaria transmission areas.

Read the detailed description

The study is a cluster randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the impact of RFDA intervention against current standard of care for the impact on seropositivity in children under five years, passive surveillance for confirmed malaria case incidence, and elimination of transmission from hotspots. It will be conducted among a background population of \~130,000 people in \~30,000 households in 16 health center catchment areas across several districts in Southern Province. The government of Zambia is pursuing malaria elimination as a national goal on an accelerated timeline and this trial will help evaluate two treatment-based strategies for supporting malaria elimination.

The secondary objectives of the study include: 1). Compare the effectiveness of RFDA using DHAP with RFTAT using AL in reducing rapid diagnostic test (RDT) confirmed malaria incidence through passive case detection at health facilities; 2). Compare the effectiveness of RFDA using DHAP with RFTAT using AL in reducing the prevalence of malaria and preventing re-infection in individuals receiving reactive responses; 3). Compare the cost-effectiveness of RFDA using DHAP with RFTAT using AL in reducing the burden of malaria in the community; 4). Measure the proportion of P. falciparum infections likely attributable to importation and local transmission using parasite genotyping as well as defining genotype spatial distribution; 5). Assess the utility of using serology to measure short term changes in malaria transmission and evaluate malaria elimination programs; and 6). Assess the feasibility of using remotely sensed malaria risk maps to identify areas with higher potential for local malaria transmission.

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Conditions studied

  • Malaria

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Keywords

  • malaria
  • elimination
  • surveillance and response
  • dihydroartemisinin+piperaquine
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In context

Malaria

1,299 studies on the registry are indexed under Malaria; 86 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 8,682 is above the median of 220 across 1,027 interventional studies indexed under Malaria.

Browse Malaria studies →

Lead sponsor

PATH is the lead sponsor of 111 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.

Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 10 (100%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
3 Months and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • anyone not excluded and consenting

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • contraindications from manufacturer for medications including currently taking haloperidol, artane, Phenergan (Promethazine), chlorpromazine, erythromycin, Azithromycin, clarithromycin, Ketoconazole, fluconazole, mefloquine (as prophylaxis), lumefantrine (in Coartem), quinine, Septrin
  • anyone seriously ill
  • currently taking antimalarial medicines
  • allergy to artemisinin drugs
  • pregnant women in first trimester
  • children under 3 months of age
  • reported heart condition
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Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
8,682 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Reactive Focal Drug Administration

    This is the experimental arm and is described by a reactive response to passively detected index case of malaria. The reactive response consists of treating all individuals within a defined radius of each RDT-confirmed incident malaria case with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHAP).

    Drug: Reactive Focal Drug Administration

  • No intervention
    Reactive Focal Test and Treat

    This is the current standard of care in Southern Province and is described by a reactive response to passively detected index case of malaria. The reactive response consists of testing all individuals within a defined radius of each RDT-confirmed incident malaria case with an RDT and treating all positive individuals with artemether-lumefantrine (AL).

Interventions

  • DrugReactive Focal Drug Administration

    This is the experimental arm and is described by a reactive response to passively detected index case of malaria. The reactive response consists of treating all individuals within a defined radius of each RDT-confirmed incident malaria case with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHAP).

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Malaria seropositivity in children under five

    Malaria seropositivity in children under five after two-year intervention within health center catchment areas

    Time frame: 24 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Incidence of malaria confirmed by RDT or microscopy as measured through passive case detection at health posts and health centers

    Quality-improved incidence of malaria data confirmed by malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or microscopy as measured through passive case detection at health posts and health centers in the study area.

    Time frame: 24 months

  2. PCR parasite prevalence among individuals participating at 0, 30 and 90 days following a reactive research response for a period of 24 months

    Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based testing for malaria parasite prevalence of individuals participating in each community at 0, 30 and 90 days following a reactive research response for a period of 24 months

    Time frame: 24 months

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Study locations

1 site
  • Southern province medical office
    Choma, Southern, Zambia
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References and documents

Publications

  • Bridges DJ, Miller JM, Chalwe V, Moonga H, Hamainza B, Steketee R, Silumbe K, Nyangu J, Larsen DA. Community-led Responses for Elimination (CoRE): a study protocol for a community randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of community-level, reactive focal drug administration for reducing Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence and incidence in Southern Province, Zambia. Trials. 2017 Nov 2;18(1):511. doi: 10.1186/s13063-017-2249-0. PubMed 29096671 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 4, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02654912
Lead sponsor
PATH
Collaborators
Ministry of Health, Zambia, AKROS Global Health
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 13, 2016
Start date
Feb 2016
Primary completion
Jun 2020
Completion
Jul 2020
Last update
Feb 4, 2021

Study contacts

Daniel Bridges, PhD
principal investigator · Akros

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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