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Our R&D portfolio for visceral leishmaniasis

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Visceral leishmaniasis

Our R&D portfolio for visceral leishmaniasis

What we have achieved

We have delivered new treatments using existing drugs to make treatments shorter, safer and more effective.

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Treatment Delivered

New VL treatments (Latin America)

Safe and shorter treatment for VL patients. In Brazil, DNDi collaborated with partners to implement a large clinical trial to assess a new combination therapy against current treatments. Liposomal amphotericin B was shown to be efficacious and safer for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis patients in Brazil.

Treatment Delivered

New treatments for HIV/VL

New hope for a deadly co-infection. Studies conducted by DNDi, Médecins Sans Frontières, and partners in Ethiopia and India showed that a combination of miltefosine and liposomal amphotericin B had high efficacy rates for treating visceral leishmaniasis in people living with HIV.

Treatment Delivered

New VL treatments (South Asia)

Overcoming drug resistance and severe side effects. A DNDi-led consortium identified new combinations with cure rates above 95% to replace treatments with severe side effects or poor efficacy due to drug resistance. Trials generated the key evidence needed for policy change in South Asia.

Treatment Delivered

SSG&PM (East Africa)

Shorter, more affordable treatment. DNDi-led clinical trials showed a combination of sodium stibogluconate (SSG) and paromomycin was safe and as effective as treatment with SSG alone. The more affordable combination is easier for patients and cuts treatment time by nearly half.

What we are doing for people with visceral leishmaniasis

We are working to deliver better combination treatments and new drugs. Together with our partners, we have built an unprecedented portfolio of six new chemical classes, with different mechanisms of action against Leishmania parasites.

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All PROJECTS

Drug discovery

Translational research

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

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

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

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

Doctor with young patient in hospital setting

Dengue

Rapidly spreading climate-sensitive disease with no specific treatment

We’re building a global partnership with dengue-endemic countries to develop a first treatment

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

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

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

Pandemic Preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified global health inequalities

We’re bringing together partners and accelerating research to prepare for future viral pandemics in low-resource settings

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