Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Rwandan health research organisation Rinda Ubuzima have launched a Phase 1b clinical trial of a long-acting injectable (LAI) for malaria prevention. It is the first Phase 1 trial of a malaria LAI to be held in Africa.
The compound, MMV371, was well tolerated in healthy adults in earlier UK research and showed potential to protect for about three months. The Rwandan study will assess its safety and tolerability in adults and adolescents, explore its efficacy and examine how the body absorbs and processes it.
If proven safe and effective, LAIs could complement vector control, vaccines and preventive medicines. The World Health Organization says malaria caused over 280 million cases and 600,000 deaths in 2024, 95 percent of them in Africa.
“Long-acting injectables have the potential to redefine how malaria prevention is delivered,” said MMV CEO Dr Martin Fitchet. Rinda Ubuzima Executive Director Marie Michele Umulisa said the study shows African researchers and institutions must help develop solutions for the communities that need them most.
