Reducing the Burden of Malaria in HIV-Infected Pregnant Women and Their HIV-Exposed Children (PROMOTE-BC2)

Pregnant women will be scheduled to be seen in the study clinic every 4 weeks during their pregnancy. Women will be seen at 1 week, 6 weeks, and 3 months postpartum and every 3 months thereafter. In addition, pregnant women will be instructed to come to the study clinic for all their medical care and avoid the use of any outside medications. Women will be provided all routine HIV care at the clinic according to Uganda MOH guidelines. All women will have ARVs and TS dispensed at the study clinic. Counseling on breastfeeding and infant feeding will be provided per Uganda MOH guidelines. HIV care and breastfeeding and infant feeding recommendations may be changed to reflect the most recent standard of care per MOH guidelines. Children will be scheduled to be seen in the clinic every 4 weeks and parents /guardians of children will be instructed to bring their child to the study clinic for all medical care and avoid the use of any outside medications. The study clinic will remain open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each time a study participant is seen in the clinic a standardized history and physical exam will be performed. Patients who are febrile (tympanic temperature > 3 8.0˚C) or report history of fever in the past 24 hours will have blood obtained by finger prick for a thick blood smear. If the thick blood smear is positive, the patient will be diagnosed with malaria. If the thick blood smear is negative, the patient will be managed by study physicians for a non-malarial febrile illness. If the patient is afebrile and does not report a recent fever, a thick blood smear will not be obtained, except when following routine testing schedules.

Routine assessments will be done in the clinic every 4 weeks for both pregnant women and children. Pregnant women and children will receive standards of care as designated in the Uganda MOH guidelines. Children will have care for HIV-exposed children according to MOH guidelines, with the exception that TS will be continued until 2 years of life. Routine care in children will use Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines. During routine assessments subjects will be asked about visits to outside health facilities and the use of any medications outside the study protocol. Standardized assessment of adherence will also be done for study drugs administered at home and Insecticide Treated Net use. A routine history and physical exam will be performed using a standardized clinical assessment form. Blood will be collected by finger prick for thick smear, collection of plasma for PK studies, and filter paper samples. Phlebotomy for routine laboratory tests (CBC and ALT) to monitor for potential adverse events from study medications and for immunology studies will be performed every 8 weeks in pregnant women. Non malaria screening will also include stool ova and parasite examination, circulating filarial antigens (by ICT card for Wucheria), and blood smear for microfilaremia (including Mansonella perstans) using Knott's technique. For pregnant women, study drugs will be administered at the time of each routine visit.

Inclusion criteria

• Intrauterine pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound
• Estimated gestational age between 12-28 weeks
• Confirmed to be HIV-infected by Uganda country standard rapid HIV test
• 16 years of age or older
• Residency within 30 km of the study clinic
• Provision of informed consent
• Agreement to come to the study clinic for any febrile episode or other illness and avoid medications given outside the study protocol
• Plan to deliver in the hospital

Exclusion criteria

• History of serious adverse event to TS or DP
• Refusal to take cART during pregnancy or as part of routine HIV care
• Active medical problem requiring inpatient evaluation at the time of screening
• Intention of moving more than 30 km from the study clinic
• Active WHO stage 4 condition not stable under treatment
• Signs or symptoms of early or active labor
• Currently on ritonavir
• Currently taking drugs associated with known risk of Torsades de pointes
• Currently taking CYP3A inhibitor medications which potentially inhibit the metabolism of piperaquine
• History of cardiac problems or fainting