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Home > Diseases
leishmaniasis icon

Cutaneous leishmaniasis

Developing safer and shorter treatments for a disfiguring and stigmatizing disease

Home > Diseases
leishmaniasis icon

Cutaneous leishmaniasis

Developing safer and shorter treatments for a disfiguring and stigmatizing disease

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

We are advancing R&D for promising new patient-friendly treatments that are affordable, safe, and effective for both children and adults and helping to build and consolidate research capacity in the most affected countries.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is transmitted through the bite of sandflies that carry the Leishmania parasite. People affected by poverty, malnutrition, displacement, and poor housing conditions are most at risk. The skin lesions that result from the disease form on the face or other exposed areas, leaving disfiguring, life-long scars that bring severe social stigma, particularly for women and children.

But because cutaneous leishmaniasis is not fatal, it receives little attention from pharmaceutical companies, funding agencies, and local health systems. Current treatments are costly, and often require weeks of painful injections of toxic drugs called antimonials. Despite their severe side effects, these drugs have been used to treat the disease for over 60 years.

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people infected every year
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countries are endemic
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effectiveness of current treatments can be as low as
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‘We have these drugs that we’ve been using for over 70 years to treat leishmaniasis. An adequate treatment is the great challenge we face.’

Dr Juliana Quintero is a general physician and researcher in Medellín, Colombia. Her hope for leishmaniasis is to have oral, simple treatments for her patients that they could take at home.

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What we have achieved

Through collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies, academia, and other product development partnerships, we have identified several promising compounds that are now in different stages of development. In addition, our support for regional disease research platforms is helping to build and consolidate research capacity in endemic countries.

What we are doing for people living with cutaneous leishmaniasis

Our goal is to deliver short, safe, non-invasive, efficacious, affordable, and field-friendly treatments for all forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis, including topical, oral, and immunomodulator therapies.

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Clinical trials

New CL combination therapies

Combining existing treatments to improve patient outcomes. Preliminary results from our Phase II trial in Peru and Colombia showed better outcomes combining thermotherapy and miltefosine compared to treatment with thermotherapy alone. A Phase III study is now planned in four countries in Latin America. 

Translational research

CpG-D35 for cutaneous leishmaniasis

Boosting immune system’s response to fight infection. We are working to produce an ‘immunomodulator’ that can stimulate the innate immune system to fight the parasitic infection that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis.

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Cutaneous leishmaniasis news & resources

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News
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Stories
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Viewpoints
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News
25 Jan 2023

It’s time medical innovation reached the 1.7 billion people affected by neglected tropical diseases: World NTD Day 2023

Patient speaking with two doctors
Press releases
15 Nov 2022

Leishmaniasis project launched in Eastern Africa to improve patient access to treatments

Film Poster Voices of Leishmaniasis: Juliana from Colombia
Videos
14 Nov 2022

Voices of leishmaniasis: Juliana from Colombia

News
3 Oct 2022

DNDi 2022 Projects of the Year recognize partners and colleagues for their work in developing new treatments for leishmaniasis

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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

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’ve delivered a treatment as simple, safe, and effective as the best drugs available today – at a fraction of the cost 

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

Healthcare workers in a hospital

COVID-19

Devasting and deadly to many, there’s too little research to help the most vulnerable

We’re accelerating research by coordinating clinical trials in low-resource settings and bringing together partners

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

Patient medical examination

Cryptococcal meningitis

Without treatment, deadly for thousands of people with advanced HIV

We’re working to improve access to life-saving treatments and developing an easier-to-use formulation

Sleeping sickness

Chagas disease

Cutaneous leishmaniasis

Hepatitis C

Visceral leishmaniasis

COVID-19

Filaria: river blindness

Cryptococcal meningitis

VIEW ALL DISEASES

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International non-profit developing safe, effective, and affordable treatments for the most neglected patients.

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