Lymphatic filariasis
Finding a cure to end a disabling disease
Lymphatic filariasis
Finding a cure to end a disabling disease
We are working to develop a safe, effective, field-adapted treatment to help eliminate lymphatic filariasis.
Also known as elephantiasis due to the extreme swelling (lymphoedema) that can result from the disease, lymphatic filariasis is caused by parasitic worms spread by the bites of infected mosquitoes. While people of all ages can get the disease, its most severe effects are only seen years after infection – and can result in abnormal enlargement of body parts, pain, severe disability, and social stigma.
Mass drug administration repeated over many years reduces transmission of the disease, but these treatments do not kill adult worms or reverse the long-term effects of infection.
India has committed to eliminating lymphatic filariasis by 2027 – and new treatments that kill both adult and juvenile worms could help the country achieve and sustain elimination.
‘I suffer from really painful attacks from the swelling in my legs.’
What we have achieved
Progress in the development of a macrofilaricide drug (a treatment able to kill adult worms) could benefit all filarial diseases. After testing oxfendazole for river blindness and other filarial diseases as part of the eWHORM consortium, DNDi is now supporting partners testing the drug against lymphatic filariasis.
What we are doing for people with lymphatic filariasis
We aim to test and develop a new treatment that can prevent disability and help eliminate lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.
Lymphatic filariasis news & resources
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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