Immtech begins African sleeping sickness trial

The study is planned at multiple sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, New Sudan, and Angola. The company plans to enroll approximately 250 “stage-one” patients in a randomized trial which will compare the effectiveness of DB289 to pentamidine, the current first line therapy in Africa which is difficult to administer in remote areas and is associated with significant side effects.

Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is caused by single-celled parasites, Trypanosoma brucei, which are transmitted to humans by infected tsetse flies. The illness produces fever, lymph node inflammation, eventual impairment of the brain and nervous system in its late stage and, if not treated, death. Stage-one patients are those infected with the African sleeping sickness parasites in their blood and lymph nodes. If untreated, the parasites will enter patients’ cerebrospinal fluid and brain and cause a more severe form of the disease.

“DB289 is an important new oral drug that may have a major impact on a devastating disease that has, for centuries, been a scourge in the sub-Sahara,” said T. Stephen Thompson, president and CEO. “The entry of DB289 into a phase III pivotal trial represents the accomplishment of a major milestone for both our company and infected patients, given the significant challenges present in rural areas where the neediest patients are located.”

Mr Thompson went on to say that the drug is also in trials for the treatment of malaria and Pneumocystis pneumonia in AIDS patients.