Essential Medicines News

Preliminary results for the use of eflornithine with nifurtimox against sleeping sickness have led the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to call for greater access to these drugs before the clinical trials have completed. While the WHO is waiting for trial results to approve the combined use of these drugs for sleeping sickness, the trial itself is enrolling additional patients in an effort to achieve greater access before the trials are completed. If left untreated, sleeping sickness is fatal, and even the administration of melarsoprol, the current recommended treatment option, results in the death of 6% of patients. Nifurtimox is already approved for use in Chagas disease, a related infection.