by Alonso-Vega C, Pinto Rocha JJ, Rojas Delgadillo LG, Ruiloba WG, Palacios López A, Pinto Rocha LV, Méndez Bartolomé S, González VR, Laserna M, Ribeiro I, Pinazo M-J, Thomas MC, López MC, Losada Galván I, Ortiz L, Schijman AG, Urbina JA, Sanz Bravo S, Gascón J, Torrico F, Almeida IC, and the TESEO Study Group. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2026. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(26)00436-6.
Summary: The authors of this manuscript evaluated whether shortened, extended, or halved-dose regimens of benznidazole or nifurtimox could preserve efficacy and improve tolerability in an open-label, randomised, phase IIb trial performed in Bolivia in adults with serologically and quantitative PCR-confirmed chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection in indeterminate or early cardiac forms. Thirty days of once-daily 150 mg benznidazole showed non-inferior efficacy to the 60-day standard of care (sustained parasitological clearance up to 36 months: 69/73 (95%) in the 60-day group and 68/72 (94%) in the 30-day group) and the lowest rate of drug-related adverse events among the regimens tested. Phase III trials of long-term efficacy across parasite genotypes and settings are required to support its incorporation into treatment guidelines.
