River blindness drug set for testing

A new drug developed to fight onchocerciasis - known commonly as river blindness - is set to undergo clinical trials in three African countries.

Called moxidectin, the drug is used to either kill or sterilise the worms which cause the disease, known as Onchocerca volvulus.

The disease has been most prevalent in Africa and those in remote, poorer areas are particularly at risk.

Onchocerciasis is known as river blindness because the flies which transmit the illness breed in rivers.

"This is a devastating illness that has plagued 30 African countries for centuries, in particular the populations in the most remote areas 'beyond the end of the road'," said Dr Uche Amazigo, director of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control.

"Over 100 million people are at risk of infection with onchocerciasis in Africa and a few small areas in the Americas and Yemen."

Moxidectin has been developed by a partnership between the WHO-administrated Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, along with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Trials will be conducted in Ghana, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, connecting health communities