Children who received multiple doses of the wormicide ivermectin, which is known to kill mosquitoes, had significantly lower rates of malaria infection compared with children who received a single dose of the medication, according to new research published in The Lancet.
In the study, which was conducted in Burkina Faso in 2015, some children were randomly assigned to receive a single oral dose of ivermectin while others were assigned to receive five more doses, spread out over the course of 18 weeks. According to a March 13, 2019 MedPage Today article, the study found a significant difference in the incidence of malaria between the intervention and control groups.
An accompanying editorial, co-authored by N. Regina Rabinovich, ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, lauded the findings for providing additional evidence that repurposing an existing drug could help malaria control efforts.
Read the MedPage Today article: Mosquito Control Drug Shows Promise as Malaria Preventive
Read the Lancet editorial co-authored by Rabinovich: Advancing the repurposing of ivermectin for malaria