Sumitomo Chemical and IVCC are proud to announce that Sumishield® 50WG has been prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO).   With a brand-new mode of action chemistry for indoor residual spraying (IRS), Sumishield® 50WG represents a significant breakthrough, providing a new tool to allow program managers to rotate between chemistries and be better equipped to manage resistance.

IVCC supported Sumitomo Chemical by providing scientific advice, laboratory support as well as leading rigorous field trials to prove Sumishield® 50WG’s efficacy.

Dr. Nick Hamon, Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), said: “Mosquito resistance to current insecticides is threatening the huge gains made so far in reducing deaths from malaria, so we desperately need effective chemistry with modes of action new to public health to combat these resistant mosquitoes, and enable rotation with other products.  News that Sumishield® 50WG has recently obtained a WHO PQ listing is therefore very welcome and will prove to be a very valuable tool in the vector control toolbox.”

“IVCC and its partners on the Unitaid-funded NgenIRS project are looking forward to adding this new third generation indoor residual spray (3GIRS) to the toolbox of insecticides that can be supported through the established reduced pricing mechanism.  This will give African malaria programs a second affordable long-lasting insecticide to be used in rotation for resistance management.”

With a single mode of action chemistry based on the neonicotinoid insecticide, clothianidin, Sumishield 50WG gives malaria prevention programs greater flexibility when rotating with other chemistries. The formulation has proven efficacy under WHO supervised trials and continues to work effectively for up to nine months after spraying, even against highly resistant mosquitoes.

Due to a non-repellent formula, mosquitoes are exposed to SumiShield 50WG for longer, increasing mortality and reducing the chances of resistance developing. The odourless spray also has very low mammalian toxicity, doesn’t cause irritation through skin contact and won’t stain walls, which creates better acceptance by householders.

WHO figures show that nearly half the world’s population is at risk of malaria and despite great gains madea drop in both incidence and mortality rates in recent years, there are over 200 million new cases every year. Increased prevention and control measures have led to significant gains, but these are under threat due to insecticide resistance, which affects 75% of countries with ongoing transmission of the disease. Rotating insecticides is one of the key strategies for avoiding resistance, however nearly 87% of affected countries are failing to do this, largely due to a lack of alternative chemistries to choose from.

For further information on the WHO Prequalification of SumiShield, visit : http://www.who.int/entity/pq-vector-control/prequalified-lists/sumishield50wg/en/index.html

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.