Publications by authors named "Victor Kande Betu Ku Mesu"
Article Synopsis
- This text discusses a study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the oral drug fexinidazole for treating early stages of human African trypanosomiasis (g-HAT), which typically requires more invasive procedures like lumbar punctures and intravenous therapy.
- The study involved recruiting patients from eight treatment centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, focusing on those with stage 1 or early stage 2 g-HAT who met specific health criteria, while excluding those with severe health issues or contraindications.
- The goal of the research is to make treatment more accessible and less burdensome for patients in rural areas affected by this disease, highlighting the potential of fexinidazole as a convenient oral treatment option.
Article Synopsis
- Late-stage human African trypanosomiasis (g-HAT), caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, has limited treatment options, typically requiring hospital-administered combination therapy, which is impractical for patients in remote areas.
- This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of an oral medication, fexinidazole, compared to the standard nifurtimox and eflornithine combination therapy in patients with late-stage g-HAT in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.
- The trial was a randomized, open-label study with a primary endpoint measuring treatment success at 18 months, involving monitoring for both efficacy and safety of the medications administered.
Efficacy and Safety of Pafuramidine versus Pentamidine Maleate for Treatment of First Stage Sleeping Sickness in a Randomized, Comparator-Controlled, International Phase 3 Clinical Trial.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
February 2016
Background: Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]) is a neglected tropical disease with limited treatment options that currently require parenteral administration. In previous studies, orally administered pafuramidine was well tolerated in healthy patients (for up to 21 days) and stage 1 HAT patients (for up to 10 days), and demonstrated efficacy comparable to pentamidine.
Methods: This was a Phase 3, multi-center, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active control study where 273 male and female patients with first stage Trypanosoma brucei gambiense HAT were treated at six sites: one trypanosomiasis reference center in Angola, one hospital in South Sudan, and four hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between August 2005 and September 2009 to support the registration of pafuramidine for treatment of first stage HAT in collaboration with the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Efficacy, Safety, and Dose of Pafuramidine, a New Oral Drug for Treatment of First Stage Sleeping Sickness, in a Phase 2a Clinical Study and Phase 2b Randomized Clinical Studies.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
February 2016
Background: Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]) is caused by protozoan parasites and characterized by a chronic progressive course, which may last up to several years before death. We conducted two Phase 2 studies to determine the efficacy and safety of oral pafuramidine in African patients with first stage HAT.
Methods: The Phase 2a study was an open-label, non-controlled, proof-of-concept study where 32 patients were treated with 100 mg of pafuramidine orally twice a day (BID) for 5 days at two trypanosomiasis reference centers (Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]) between August 2001 and November 2004.
Background: For the past three decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been the country reporting the highest number of cases of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). In 2012, DRC continued to bear the heaviest burden of gambiense HAT, accounting for 84 % of all cases reported at the continental level (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo investigate the epidemiology of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2 entomologic surveys were conducted in 2005. Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and human-blood meals were found in tsetse fly midguts, which suggested active disease transmission. Vector control should be used to improve human African trypanosomiasis control efforts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) reached unprecedented levels in the 1990s. To assess recent trends and evaluate control efforts, we analyzed epidemiologic and financial data collected by all agencies involved in HAT control in DRC from 1993 to 2003. Funds allocated to control populations, as well as to the population screened, doubled from 1993 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2003.
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