Professor Richard Price
Contact information
Podcast interview
Curing Plasmodium vivax malaria

Vivax malaria used to be considered benign but is now recognised as an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Resistance to chloroquine (given to treat the parasite blood stage) is growing and ACT (artemisinin-based combination therapy) is becoming common treatment for vivax malaria. New drugs and better public health strategies can help elimination targets, anticipated for 2030.
Richard Price
Professor of Tropical Medicine
Vivax malaria
The main focus of our translational research programme is to improve the diagnosis and management of vivax malaria. To achieve this we are working with in malaria endemic countries across the Asia-Pacific region and Horn of Africa to:
- optimise the safe and effective radical cure of vivax malaria,
- improve the molecular surveillance of drug resistant malaria
- define the morbidity and mortality of vivax malaria
- evaluate the impact and cost effectiveness of novel treatment and malaria control activities.
The programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Mahidol Oxford Research Unit (MORU) in Thailand and the Menzies School of Health Research (MSHR) in Darwin.
I am head of the clinical module of the World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN). Between 2010-2020 he established co-chair the Vivax Working Group of the Asia-Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN).
CURRENT PROJECTS:
- Clinical trials and implementation studies of different primaquine regimens
- Field testing novel G6PD diagnostics
- Mapping populations at risk of malaria and drug induced haemolysis
- Determining the molecular basis of chloroquine resistant P. vivax
- Individual patient data metanalyses of antimalarial efficacy studies
Recent publications
G6PD deficiency in Indonesia: a systematic review and update of prevalence and variant maps in the context of malaria elimination
Journal article
Sadhewa A. et al, (2026), The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 69, 101840 - 101840
Predicting risk of Plasmodium vivax microscopy-detected episodes using serological markers in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria: a multi-country diagnostic performance evaluation.
Journal article
Hafidzah M. et al, (2026), J Infect Dis
Chronic Malaria Is Associated With Trauma-related Splenic Rupture Requiring Splenectomy.
Journal article
Shanti PAI. et al, (2026), J Infect Dis, 233, e740 - e744
Comparison of CD4 T cell response in Plasmodium falciparum and vivax malaria.
Journal article
Nalubega M. et al, (2026), J Infect Dis
Effectiveness and safety of 7-day high-dose primaquine and single-dose tafenoquine versus 14-day low-dose primaquine in patients with Plasmodium vivax malaria (EFFORT): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, superiority trial.
Journal article
Degaga TS. et al, (2026), Lancet Infect Dis
Moving towards high-dose primaquine or single-dose tafenoquine for Plasmodium vivax treatment in Cambodia: a meeting report from dissemination of results of the EFFORT trial to stakeholders.
Journal article
Dysoley L. et al, (2026), Malar J, 25
