• DNDi logo
  • COVID-19
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Hepatitis C
      • Antimicrobial resistance
    • Research & development
      • R&D portfolio & list of projects
      • Drug discovery
      • Translational research
      • Clinical trials
      • Registration & access
      • Treatments delivered
    • Advocacy
      • Open and collaborative R&D
      • Transparency of R&D costs
      • Pro-access policies
  • Networks & partners
    • Partnerships
      • Our partners
      • Partnering with us
    • Global networks
      • Chagas Platform
      • HAT Platform
      • LEAP Platform
      • redeLEISH Network
    • DNDi worldwide
      • DNDi Global Headquarters
      • DNDi DRC
      • DNDi East Africa
      • DNDi Japan
      • DNDi Latin America
      • DNDi North America
      • DNDi South Asia
      • DNDi South-East Asia
      • DNDi Southern Africa
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
DNDi logo
  • DNDi logo
  • COVID-19
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Hepatitis C
      • Antimicrobial resistance
    • Research & development
      • R&D portfolio & list of projects
      • Drug discovery
      • Translational research
      • Clinical trials
      • Registration & access
      • Treatments delivered
    • Advocacy
      • Open and collaborative R&D
      • Transparency of R&D costs
      • Pro-access policies
  • Networks & partners
    • Partnerships
      • Our partners
      • Partnering with us
    • Global networks
      • Chagas Platform
      • HAT Platform
      • LEAP Platform
      • redeLEISH Network
    • DNDi worldwide
      • DNDi Global Headquarters
      • DNDi DRC
      • DNDi East Africa
      • DNDi Japan
      • DNDi Latin America
      • DNDi North America
      • DNDi South Asia
      • DNDi South-East Asia
      • DNDi Southern Africa
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
Home > Diseases
chagas disease icon

Chagas disease

In search of shorter, better treatments to stop a silent killer

Home > Diseases
chagas disease icon

Chagas disease

In search of shorter, better treatments to stop a silent killer

  • Overview
  • Facts
  • Projects & achievements
  • Target product profiles

We developed the first-ever treatment for children and established a research network of over 400 people in 25 countries to advance new treatments and improve patients’ lives. Our teams are now working to develop safer, more effective medicines and to break down barriers to testing and treatment.

There are only two drugs – both discovered half a century ago – available to treat Chagas disease, a potentially fatal parasitic illness transmitted by insects known as ‘kissing bugs’, that hide in cracks in walls and furniture. If not treated, Chagas disease can cause irreversible, life-threatening damage to the heart and other vital organs. Endemic in Latin America and the southern US, it is also present in Europe, Japan, and Australia.

The current treatment for the disease is effective, but lasts eight weeks and sometimes has serious side effects.

Icon parasite
> 0 million
people living with Chagas
People with search icon
0 %
people diagnosed
Icon people
0 %
people infected suffer cardiac damage
Icon people in front of globe
0 million
people are at risk
SEE DISEASE FACTS
DOWNLOAD FACTSHEET

‘We need to raise the population’s awareness about Chagas disease and eliminate beliefs and fears about treatment.’

Wilson Fernando Torres works as a specialized professional in technical health public management for the Ministry of Health in the Province of Casanare and is also the physician of reference for Chagas disease in Casanare.
READ MORE

What we have achieved

We have been active in research and development, and advocacy. Together with a group of concerned investigators, we helped create the Chagas Clinical Research Platform, a network of over 400 people from 25 countries, to utilize and strengthen capacity in endemic countries.

Clinical trials

New benznidazole regimens

Shorter treatment may be safer and just as effective. A DNDi-led study showed that a shorter two-week course of benznidazole was as effective and caused fewer side effects than the standard eight-week treatment. Phase III studies are now planned to confirm results.

icon-treatments
Treatment Delivered

Paediatric Benznidazole

First-ever treatment for children. With our partners, we developed and registered the first-ever formulations of benznidazole for treating infants and children with Chagas disease.  

What we are doing for people living with Chagas disease

Our goal is to make treatment safer and more effective. We are also working to improve access to testing and treatment. 

SEE TARGET PRODUCT PROFILE
Drug discovery

NTD Drug Discovery Booster Hit-to-lead

Joining forces to find new treatments. We are bringing together eight pharmaceutical companies to search millions of compounds, accelerating progress and cutting costs to find new leads for potential drug candidates for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.

Translational research

Fexinidazole for Chagas

Testing fexinidazole. Our new drug fexinidazole was approved in 2018 for the treatment of sleeping sickness. We are now exploring its potential as a treatment for Chagas disease.

Registration & access

Chagas Access Project

Boosting access to diagnosis and treatment. Fewer than 10% of people with Chagas know they have the disease. We are working with Ministries of Health and a broad range of partners in Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, and elsewhere to expand people’s access to diagnosis and treatment.

see all projects

Making medical history for neglected patients

We develop urgently needed treatments for neglected patients and ensure they’re affordable, available, and adapted to the communities who need them

Doctor diagnosing a man in a village with his hands on the man's neck

Sleeping sickness

Is transmitted by the bite of a tsetse fly and causes severe neurological disorders

We delivered a revolutionary new drug to replace toxic treatments, and have ongoing trials to eliminate this disease

Young boy sitting on a hospital bed being examined by a nurse

Chagas disease

Causes heart and vital organ damage, after people are bitten by blood-sucking bugs

We delivered the first-ever treatment for children; now we’re searching for new drug candidates and working to boost access to care

Girl with skin lesions on her nose

Cutaneous leishmaniasis

Leaves disfiguring, life-long scars that lead to severe social stigma

We’re working to develop safer, shorter treatments for this disabling disease

Young man standing in the street

Hepatitis C

Millions are left without treatment even though effective drugs exist

We’re working to deliver a treatment as simple, safe, and effective as the best drugs available today – at a fraction of the cost 

Father walking in rural village with a cane and holding his son's hand

Filaria: river blindness

Lead to unbearable itching, disfiguring skin lesions, and even blindness

We’re working to develop a safe, effective, and affordable drug for the prevention and treatment of this debilitating disease

Woman standing in front of her door house in a rural village in Sudan

Mycetoma

Often ends in amputation​, after people get infected from stepping on a thorn

We’re conducting the world’s first trial for an alternative to current treatments, which are toxic and ineffective

Mother holding her baby in her arms smiling

Paediatric HIV

Without treatment, half of children die before their second birthday

We’ve developed a strawberry-flavoured treatment to meet the needs of children long neglected by the global HIV response

Girl looking over a fence

Visceral leishmaniasis

Is one of the world’s biggest parasitic killers, spread by the bites of sandflies

We’re working to develop a new generation of treatments to replace drugs that are painful, ineffective, and cause side effects

Chagas disease

Cutaneous leishmaniasis

Filaria: river blindness

Hepatitis C

Mycetoma

Paediatric HIV

Sleeping sickness

Visceral leishmaniasis

Stay connected

Get our latest news, personal stories, research articles, and job opportunities. 

DNDi logo
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin-in Youtube
International non-profit developing safe, effective, and affordable treatments for the most neglected patients.

Learn more

  • Diseases
  • R&D portfolio
  • Policy advocacy

Get in touch

  • Our offices
  • Contact us
  • Integrity Line

Support us

  • Donate
  • Subscribe to eNews

Work with us

  • Join research networks
  • Jobs
  • RFPs
  • Terms of Use   
  •   Acceptable Use Policy   
  •   Privacy Policy   
  •   Cookie Policy   
  •   Our policies   

  • Except for images, films and trademarks which are subject to DNDi’s Terms of Use, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Switzerland License   
We use cookies to track our audience and improve our content. By continuing to browse our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.CLOSECOOKIE POLICY