Table 1. Key characteristics of malaria epidemiology, treatment policy and pharmaceutical licensing by country.
| COUNTRY | ||||||
| BENIN | CAMBODIA | DRC | NIGERIA | UGANDA | ZAMBIA | |
| Predominant malaria parasite species [22] | P falciparum (100%) | P falciparum (63%), P vivax (37%) | P falciparum (100%) | P falciparum (100%) | P falciparum (100%) | P falciparum (100%) |
| % of population living in high transmission areas (≥1 case per 1000 population) [22] | 100 | 44 | 97 | 100 | 90 | 100 |
| Recommended first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria (2010) [22] | AL | P falciparum: ASMQ, DHA-PP-PQ; P vivax: CQ, DHA-PP* | ASAQ | AL, ASAQ | AL | AL |
| ACT officially provided free of charge in public sector | NO | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Licences issued for pharmaceuticalwholesaling | YES: importer+ wholesaler | YES: importer, wholesaler+ retailer | YES: three types of wholesaler | YES: importer, two types of wholesaler | YES: wholesaler | YES: importer, wholesaler |
| Licences issued for pharmaceutical retailing | YES: retail pharmacy | YES: wholesaler+ retailer, depot A & B | YES: retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy | YES: retail pharmacy | YES: retail pharmacy | YES: retail pharmacy |
| Licences issued for retailing of only OTC medicines | YES: rural outpost pharmacy | NO | NO | YES: PPMV | YES: drug shop | YES: drug store |
P: Plasmodium; ACT: artemisinin-based combination therapy; AL: artemether-lumefantrine; ASAQ: artesunate-amodiaquine; ASMQ: artesunate-mefloquine; CQ: chloroquine; DHA-PP-PQ: dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine-primaquine; DHA-PP: dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine; OTC: over-the-counter; PPMV: Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors. * As part of the programme to contain the spread of artemisinin resistance, Cambodia’s treatment guidelines until early-2011 recommended the use of DHA-PP in the highest risk areas (combined with PQ where safe use has been demonstrated) and ASMQ everywhere else to treat P falciparum malaria, and DHA-PP for the treatment of P vivax malaria since 2011 (CQ was used previously). Since early-2011, Cambodia’s treatment guidelines have recommended the use of DHA-PP (combined with PQ where safe use has been demonstrated) for both P falciparum and P vivax malaria. [22].