OneWorld Health (OWH) announced that it will participate in a major consortium project aimed to boost strategies for control and eventual elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL or kala-azar) in India and Bangladesh, where the disease burden is among the world's highest. OneWorld Health received 1.9 million USD as part of a larger grant for the project led by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Also collaborating in this consortium is the Special Programme for Research Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR). The four-year long initiative aims to establish and implement new treatment modalities to advance kala-azar elimination in South Asia's most endemic regions.
Within this ambitious, multi-faceted project, OneWorld Health will investigate the use of combination therapies with miltefosine, paromomycin and AmBisome® in the private sector in India to control and support VL elimination. Upon completing the study, a feasibility report will be published, which will include recommendations for the private sector engagement using new treatment modalities.
"We are pleased to be involved in this important project for the control and eventual elimination of visceral leishmaniasis, a devastating disease, in South Asia," commented Dr. Richard Chin, Chief Executive Officer of OWH. "We look forward to working together with our partners, and leveraging our expertise in visceral leishmaniasis to contribute to the mission of the consortium and deliver impact full results to a great number of people in need."