Doctor Group Warns Of Kala Azar Spread In India, Southeast Asia
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
An official of Medecins Sans Frontieres warned Southeast Asian governments they need to make drugs more accessible to the poor as visceral leishmaniasis spreads and becomes treatment-resistant. The international group's tropical medical adviser said the disease, transmitted by sand flies, has an effective treatment in Ambisome (liposomal amphotericin B), shown to be 98 percent effective so far. But, she said, it and other drugs to fight the disease are not available to the people who need them most. At a conference in India where the potentially fatal disease is endemic, she called for it to be included in India's treatment protocol as a first-line option. (Click here for more