EDCTP-co-funded visceral leishmaniasis treatment trial completes recruitment
A clinical trial seeking a safer, efficacious and more patient-friendly treatment for visceral leishmaniasis has completed enrolling a total of 439 patients from four countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. If efficacious, the new oral treatment will be easier to administrate than the current injectable treatment. Children, who are particularly vulnerable to visceral leishmaniasis, would benefit most from the new treatment.
The study is part of the work of the AfriKADIA consortium led by Dr Jorge Alvar of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). The phase III clinical trial, which began in 2018, is assessing the efficacy and safety of a combination of miltefosine with paromomycin in treating visceral leishmaniasis in eastern Africa, which currently has the highest burden of the disease. In addition to the new treatment, the consortium evaluates improved diagnostic tools for visceral leishmaniasis.
The consortium is coordinated by DNDi (Switzerland) with consortium partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, the Netherlands, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. The total project value is more than €11.6 million of which EDCTP awarded more than €5.6 million.
Additional co-funding is contributed by the Amsterdam Medical Centre and the Nederlands Kanker Instituut (both in the Netherlands), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), DNDi and the Foundation for Innovative Diagnostics (both in Switzerland), and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom).
More information
- Visit the AfriKADIA website
- Explore the EDCTP portfolio of research on neglected infectious diseases
- Recently a DNDi short film about a new treatment for sleeping sickness was awarded the Grand Prix at the inaugural WHO film festival. More on the DNDi website.
- This short message is based on information received from DNDi. Photo credit for the photo used on the EDCTP homepage: Abraham Ali – DNDi