New single-dose treatment for sleeping sickness could help eliminate transmission of the disease by 2030

Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is a neglected tropical disease, which can be fatal if left untreated.

A new, single-dose, oral treatment for sleeping sickness is as effective as current treatments and could be a key factor in eliminating disease transmission by 2030, suggests a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The study finds that a single oral dose of the drug acoziborole is 95% effective 18 months after treatment in treating sleeping sickness in adults and adolescents, regardless of disease stage.

During the study, they recruited patients from 10 hospitals. A single 960 mg oral dose of acoziborole was administered to 208 patients; 167 diagnosed with late-stage human African trypanosomiasis. The patients were followed up for 18 months to see if treatment was successful.

The researchers found that, 18 months after treatment, 95% of patients with late-stage Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis treated with acoziborole were cured. In the early- and intermediate-stage patients, 100% were successfully treated. An analysis of the results found that they were similar to the success rate for the previous human African trypanosomiasis treatment.

Acoziborole, unlike current treatments for sleeping sickness, does not require multiple days of treatment, hospitalisation or highly skilled health personnel. The authors argue that acoziborole could be a breakthrough in efforts to reach the WHO goal of the elimination of transmission of sleeping sickness by 2030.

The researchers added that "The World Health Organisation have set a goal of elimination of Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis by 2030 by interrupting the disease's transmission. Although cases are decreasing across Africa, this will be a challenge and we believe the use of acoziborole could be a crucial future tool in efforts to reach our common goal of elimination.

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THE LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES: New single-dose treatment for sleeping sickness could hel eliminate transmission of the disease by 2030