Fexinidazole - a potential treatment for Visceral Leishmaniasis

What is it about?

Visceral leishmaniasis kills more people than any other parasitic disease except malaria. DNDi-sponsored clinical trials of fexinidazole for African sleeping sickness have already shown that the drug is extremely safe. Fexinidazole itself is ineffective against leishmaniasis in tissue culture. We discovered that fexinidazole is converted in the body to metabolites that cure visceral leishmaniasis in tissue culture and in mouse models of the disease.

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Why is it important?

Cheaper, safer drugs that can be administered by mouth are urgetly required for the treatment of this killer disease. Our studies showed that fexinidazole is a promising oral treatment for visceral leishmaniasis and, as a result, is now undergoing Phase II clinical trials in Africa.