Preliminary safety assessment of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine during intermittent presumptive treatment of pregnant women in a region with high prevalence of G6PD deficiency

Pregnant women in 20 administrative districts of Ghana are being monitored intensively for adverse events following intermittent presumptive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. Preliminary results indicate a low level of adverse events (0.16%) suggesting good tolerability of the drug, despite the relatively high G6PD deficiency prevalence of more than 20%. Since the real possibility of under-reporting cannot be overlooked, the focused surveillance approach being used in the study is being complemented with in-depth interviews following home visits and focus group discussions with patients and healthcare workers.