Primaquine remains the only cure for Plasmodium vivax malaria, yet its hemolytic potential in G6PD-deficient patients has created a diagnostic dilemma in endemic regions where laboratory services are scarce or absent. New safety data from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia now demonstrates why point-of-care G6PD testing addresses this critical gap.
First, rapid screening eliminates delays inherent to centralized laboratory systems, enabling treatment decisions at the moment of clinical encounter. Second, risk-stratified dosing guided by bedside test results proves safe across patient populations—G6PD-normal patients receive standard curative doses while heterozygous individuals tolerate modified regimens, and deficient patients are redirected to safer alternatives. Third, this intervention removes a major implementation barrier that has historically prevented malaria programs from scaling primaquine therapy in endemic settings.
With 100% feasibility demonstrated in routine clinical workflows, health systems now have evidence-based justification to advance large-scale implementation studies and accelerate progress toward vivax malaria elimination across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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