Syngenta and IVCC collaboration delivers new long-lasting insecticide formulation, Actellic® 300CS, now recommended by the World Health Organization to fight insecticide resistant mosquitoes.

Syngenta and IVCC are proud to announce that The World Health Organization Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) has granted a formal recommendation for the use of Actellic® 300CS in malaria vector control. The WHO recommendation opens up additional opportunities for more malaria control programs around the world to access this new long lasting insecticide formulation designed for the control of pyrethroid resistant mosquitoes.

Syngenta believes that people deserve to live their lives uninterrupted by mosquitoes and the diseases that they can transmit. Syngenta has a rich pipeline of insecticides and access to advanced delivery technologies and consequently has been providing leading edge solutions on mosquito control for decades.

Mosquitoes have evolved to survive a number of the existing control products and this threatens the effectiveness of disease prevention programs. IVCC is a product development partnership committed to working with industrial partners to accelerate the development and introduction of new tools to meet these challenges. Syngenta and IVCC have had a long standing collaboration to accelerate and enrich the innovation pipeline for mosquito control.

The development of Actellic 300CS was initiated in 2007, not only to control resistance to the pyrethroid class of chemistry, but also deliver longer lasting performance to facilitate greater program efficiency in spraying programs. Since then, the WHO Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management recommends the deployment of non pyrethroid products when programs are looking for technology to complement mass distribution of long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets.

Syngenta used their expertise in microencapsulation technology to create Actellic 300CS, which is designed specifically for residual spraying. Numerous independent trials have demonstrated at least 9 months residual performance on a range of household surfaces, a significant improvement over current alternatives. Trials have also demonstrated control of pyrethroid resistant strains in both Anopheles and Culex species of mosquitoes.

This unique combination of controlling pyrethroid resistance with proprietary long lasting technology provides the opportunity for malaria control program managers have a greater impact on malaria as part of their integrated control program. Long lasting performance allows for reduction of spray program costs through moving to just one application per season whilst also managing pyrethroid resistance. This is essential when long lasting insecticide treated nets are currently dominated by this class of chemistry.

Actellic 300CS is the first commercial product to exit the IVCC pipeline, and this important WHO recognition meets one of Syngenta [MSB1] and IVCC’s commitments to provide access to new technology in disease endemic countries. More than a million people are now estimated to be protected by Actellic 300CS and production has been scaled up to support all key markets.

This development is just one step on the journey to develop new solutions to controlling mosquito-borne disease, and more alternatives are urgently needed, especially in the fight against growing insecticide resistance. Syngenta and IVCC continue to collaborate on the development of the next generation of insecticides, which will provide a robust solution to future insecticide resistance and equip malaria control programs with the tools they need to defeat malaria.

For more information on Actellic 300CS or Syngenta products please contact: vector.control@syngenta.com

Footnote: Actellic is a registered trademark of the the Syngenta Group companies

Syngenta and IVCC collaboration deliver new long-lasting insecticide formulation, Actellic® 300CS, now recommended by the World Health Organization to fight insecticide resistant mosquitoes

IVCC’s stakeholder event in 2013 took place at MIM in Durban, when key individuals and organisations from all over the world gathered to share information and strategies for fighting malaria.

One of IVCC’s key objectives for stakeholder events is to engage with people working in country control programmes. The MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference 2013 in Durban provided a perfect opportunity to make contact and learn from people in the front line of malaria vector control.

The IVCC stand provided a visual summary of key achievements since the launch of IVCC in 2005 and a time frame for delivery of new vector control tools.

There were many visitors to the stand. Most were seeking  information about the progress of IVCC’s collaboration with industry partners to develop the three new active ingredients that will form the basis of a new generation of public health insecticides. A frequent question was, ‘how long before you can deliver?’, indicative of growing concerns about insecticide resistance.

Information about IVCC’s portfolio and details about insecticide resistance were presented to delegates in an IVCC symposium on new tools for the management of insecticide resistance.

Professor Hilary Ranson from LSTM started the IVCC symposium with an overview of insecticide resistance in vector control. Dr Charles Wondji looked at the mechanisms of insecticide resistance and Professor Diabate Abdoulaye considered current strategies and future challenges for malaria vector control in Africa. An industry perspective was provided by Frederic Baur, who outlined the development of new products for insecticide resistance management.

During an evening reception later in the week, the new IVCC CEO, Dr Nick Hamon, outlined the IVCC mission and objectives for the next few years. Tribute was paid to the founders of IVCC and thanks recorded to the committed industry partners and funders who make the work of IVCC possible.
IVCC also took part in a demonstration of the new  Insecticide Quantification Kits (IQKs), which are designed to help spray programmes monitor the effectiveness of indoor residual spraying.

The Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) has helped the CREC/LSHTM Collaborative Research Programme in Benin achieve Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certification, the second vector control field trial site to attain certification in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The CREC/LSHTM Collaborative Research Programme is a research partnership set up in 2003 between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou (CREC) at the Ministry of Health in Benin.

The partnership has extensive experience in the evaluation of vector control products (mainly long-lasting insecticidal nets and Indoor residual spraying) to WHO standards.  It is part of PAMVERC (The Pan-African Malaria Vector Research Consortium) and its research activities are largely funded by USAID and by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) through IVCC and collaborating agrochemical companies.

Nick Hamon, CEO of IVCC said: “Field trials facilities in Africa play an essential role in evaluating novel vector control products being developed by our agrochemical partners. The generation of reliable data through GLP compliant field trials is important, as this is the key to establishing the true performance of the products being tested.”

Since 2000, IVCC, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has been working to strengthen the quality and reliability of data generated by African vector control field trial sites.  This work has included the development of quality management systems including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the auditing of facilities for GLP compliance, and GLP training workshops.

An important element of IVCC’s GLP rollout programme has also been its funding of infrastructure improvements including buildings and equipment at its collaborating trial sites. This research capacity building is establishing a network of facilities in Africa that can generate testing data on vector control products of the highest standard.

Dr. Corine Ngufor, Assistant Professor, Disease Control Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Facility Manager of CREC/LSHTM Facility said: “GLP accreditation is never an easy process for any facility. CREC/LSHTM is now the first facility in the West African region and the second in Africa to achieve GLP accreditation for vector control product evaluation. We look forward to working with agrochemical companies to deliver high quality data on the efficacy of novel vector control products in line with the WHO pre-qualification requirements.  As a team, we have worked hard over the past 2 years and are very proud of this achievement.  We are also grateful for the support provided by IVCC through this process.”

Graham Small, IVCC’s Trials Quality and Project Support Manager added: “The growing network of GLP certified trials sites across Africa will allow manufacturers of vector control products to generate their own efficacy data for inclusion in their product dossiers submitted to the WHO Prequalification Team product evaluation process. This represents a major step forward for vector control product testing, which will be of major importance in delivering the IVCC mission and in achieving malaria elimination in the future.”

In 2016, the first field trial site to achieve GLP certification was the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) was in Moshi, Tanzania.   Five further IVCC collaborating trials sites are now planning their GLP studies and will be submitting their applications for OECD GLP certification through SANAS in the coming year.

IVCC has welcomed the WHO Pre-Qualification of Bayer’s Fludora™ Fusion, combining different modes of action, as another major step forward in malaria control and insecticide resistance management.

IVCC supported the development of this new indoor residual spray (IRS) product in field trials where the product was tested against various resistant mosquito strains and on different relevant surface types. The data generated demonstrated that Fludora™ Fusion provides robust and consistent results, matching the needs of malaria control programs across Africa.

Nick Hamon, CEO of IVCC said: “We were pleased to have been able to support part of the Fludora™ Fusion trial program and to see this milestone achieved. New vector control tools are desperately needed to combat resistance and this is another positive addition to the toolbox.”

IVCC’s David McGuire who, with other consortium partners PMI, Abt Associates and PATH, leads the $65.1m Unitaid funded NgenIRS initiative, added: “Fludora™ Fusion will be a powerful and timely addition to the range of new indoor residual spray products implementing partners can use across sub-Saharan Africa.Following the successful deployment of Syngenta’s Actellic® 300 CS and Sumitomo’s SumiShield® we now have greater choice of new generation IRS products that can support sub-national rotation of insecticides, a major weapon against the threat of insecticide resistance. The introduction of more products from different manufacturers has also created a competitive environment for third generation IRS that is driving down prices to affordable levels for malaria control programs and their donor partners.

Dr. Jacqueline M. Applegate, Head of the Environmental Science business unit at Bayer added: “We are very proud to have achieved WHO Pre-Qualification for Fludora™ Fusion; it reflects our long-term commitment towards supporting the elimination of vector-borne diseases. It is a clear example of our focus on applying science to advance life – malaria control programs will now have access to an additional safe, efficient and cost-effective solution to protect the millions at risk from the disease.”

For further information, please contact:

Chris Larkin
Head of Communications and External Relations
IVCC
Phone: +44 151 702 9371
Mobile: +44 7712 402498
Email: christopher.larkin@IVCC.com(link sends e-mail)

About IVCC

IVCC is the only product development partnership (PDP) working in vector control. Established in 2005, IVCC works with stakeholders to facilitate the development of novel and improved public health insecticides and formulations and provides information tools to enable their effective use. IVCC’s vision is simply to save lives, protect health and increase prosperity by preventing insect-borne diseases. IVCC is funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UKaid, USAID, Unitaid, the Global Fund, the Australian Government and The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen.

The 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Members of the NgenIRS project, along with a few thousand colleagues from around the world, met in New Orleans, LA for five days to share recent findings from world-class research on tropical medicine and hygiene, including malaria. Molly Robertson, Evidence lead for the NgenIRS project at PATH, along with Larry Slutsker, Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases at PATH, co-chaired a symposium on indoor residual spraying (IRS) and drug-based malaria control. Symposium presenters reviewed observational evidence and modeling showing the benefits of combining IRS for malaria vector control with drug-based interventions, including mass drug administration (MDA) and seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), for malaria parasite control. Diadier Diallo of MEASURE Evaluation presented research on IRS and SMC in the Segou Region of Mali showing that there was a 39 percent reduction in all-ages malaria incidence in areas that received both IRS and SMC compared to a 16 percent reduction in SMC areas and a 28% reduction in IRS areas. Other symposium presenters included Thom Eisele from Tulane University, Dorothy Echodu from Pilgrim Africa, and Ellie Sherrard-Smith from Imperial College.

NgenIRS partners from PATH also presented updated analyses on the cluster randomised control trial in Mopeia, Mozambique; the impact of introducing IRS in Mopti Region, Mali; and the reintroduction of IRS in Northern and Upper East Regions, Ghana. In Mozambique, preliminary results from active cohort surveillance based on spray status have shown a 17-month cumulative rate ratio of .81 (.77-.94). Interim analysis of case data from routine health systems reflect the same trends seen in infection data from the active cohort—a significant reduction in malaria incidence of approximately 19.4% to 25% in IRS vs. non-IRS clusters. In Ghana, preliminary analyses show clear correlations in time and space with indoor residual spraying of a 3GIRS product and reduced incidence of confirmed malaria cases from routine surveillance systems in the north of Ghana, where pyrethroid resistance is widely reported. Finally, in Mali, after introducing IRS into 4 districts of Mopti in 2017, rapid diagnostic testing (RDT)-confirmed malaria rates fell 37% compared to similar unsprayed districts. And after suspending IRS in Segou District in 2017, RDT+ confirmed malaria rates rose 125% compared to similar unsprayed districts. Final in-depth analyses on all of the aforementioned work will be forthcoming in 2019.

Symposium co-chairs and speakers show up in costume during the October 31st ASTMH session on combining IRS and drug-based interventions.