The anti-tubercular drug delamanid as a potential oral treatment for visceral leishmaniasis

What is it about?

Delamanid is a newly approved drug for the treatment of tuberculosis. My research team has discovered that this drug could possibly be used to treat the neglected parasitic disease known as visceral leishmaniasis.

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Why is it important?

Discovery and development of a new drug is a long and expensive process taking 10-12 years to complete. The possibility of re-using an existing drug for a new disease is an attractive way of siginificanlty reducing costs and reducing the time to reach the clinic. This is particularly important for neglected diseases of poverty where there is little or no prospect of a financial return on investment by pharmaceutical companies.