Cutaneous leishmaniasis
Developing safer and shorter treatments for a disfiguring and stigmatizing disease
Cutaneous leishmaniasis
Developing safer and shorter treatments for a disfiguring and stigmatizing disease
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.
‘There is a huge lack of information on the disease that leads to the use of several things to get cured, such as burned oil from cars. The scars are very ugly, so there is lots of stigma and discrimination.’
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.
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
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