News & insights
Date: May 2026 | Client: Unitaid | Sector: Global health | Immunisation | Epidemics and communicable diseases | Expertise: Appraisal & evaluation
Unitaid publishes the End of Project evaluation of its investment in better tools for diagnosis and treatment of malaria
CEPA evaluated Unitaid’s VivAction investment to support introduction of novel P. vivax treatments that shorten radical cure from 14 days to either a single dose with tafenoquine or 7 days with high-dose primaquine, alongside near-patient G6PD testing. Key achievements included supporting development and market readiness of the first paediatric primaquine formulation, and adoption of shorter radical cure regimens in several national malaria guidelines.
The evaluation also highlights broader strategic lessons for Unitaid in the context of tightening global health financing and increasingly difficult prioritisation decisions:
- the challenges of stimulating sustainable markets for products with initially small and uncertain demand;
- the importance of investing in health system readiness alongside feasibility evidence to accelerate national scale-up; and
- the value of working through influential national stakeholders and credible local research partners to build ownership, trust, and implementation momentum within health systems and communities.
A new WHO field guide on P.vivax case management incorporates evidence and lessons learned from VivAction to support country implementation.
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