Weighing for results: assessing the effect of IPTp

Abstract

Although earlier studies showed that intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine provides substantial benefit to pregnant women and their infants, the spread of resistance raises questions about how long the therapy is efficient for.1 In their meta-analysis, Thomas Eisele and colleagues2 show that IPTp with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine continues to provide substantial benefits, resulting in a 26% reduction in low birthweight and a 16% reduction in neonatal mortality under programme conditions.