Last Updated: 30/10/2025

Opening the policy blackbox: unravelling the process for changing national diagnostic and treatment guidelines for vivax malaria in seven countries

Objectives

This study sought to understand the current policy change processes in malaria programs in seven endemic countries. The aim was to identify whether policy processes need to be streamlined to better and more quickly introduce new tools for optimal vivax treatment.

Principal Institution

Menzies School of Health Research, Australia

Principal Investigators / Focal Persons

Kamala Thriemer
Varunika Ruwanpura

Partner Institutions

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Switzerland
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Thailand
Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) Antwerp, Belgium
Nagasaki University, Japan

Partner Investigators

Caroline Lynch
Ric Price
Koen Peeters
Josselyn Neukom

Rationale and Abstract

The changing global health landscape has highlighted the need for more proactive, efficient and transparent health policy-making. After more than 60 years of limited development, novel tools for vivax malaria are finally available, but need to be integrated into national policies. This paper maps the malaria policy-making processes in seven endemic countries, to identify areas where it can be improved to align with best practices and optimal efficiency.

Project Outputs