ADOPT - Adoption of Levo-Praziquantel 150mg for schistosomiasis by endemic countries (ADOPT)

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that poses a serious public health challenge. Current treatment recommendations and control efforts focus on distribution of praziquantel tablets to school-aged children and at-risk populations. Preschool-aged (≤5 years) children (PSAC) represent another important at-risk group but treatment options for the estimated 50 million PSAC in need of treatment are limited by the physical properties of traditional praziquantel formulations. In response to this need for a suitable formulation, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium has developed a childfriendly praziquantel orodispersible tablet, Levo-Praziquantel 150mg. The new formulation is currently undergoing phase III clinical trials in Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire with support of GHIT and EDCTP. Development is closely coordinated with the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Consortium is committed to facilitating access to the product after WHO Prequalification (PQ) or national approval is granted by 2022 as per the updated planning. The here proposed project complements a proposal submitted to EDCTP and focuses on establishing optimal Levo-Praziquantel access and delivery strategies for different endemic settings in Africa. A total of four work packages are proposed which will jointly inform implementation research activities planned for the post-licensure phase.

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