WHO releases new guidelines on malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy

On 25th November 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated the guidelines for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in the first trimester to include artemether-lumefantrine as the preferred treatment option. The recommendation was based on a review of the evidence on the safety of artemisinin-based treatments used in early pregnancy. An updated meta-analysis of prospective observational studies of pregnancies exposed to artemisinin and non-artemisinin antimalarials in the first trimester showed no evidence of teratogenicity or embryotoxicity based on the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or major congenital anomalies associated with artemisinin treatments.