Miltefosine in the treatment of leishmaniasis: Clinical evidence for informed clinical risk management

Shyam Sundar¹, Piero L Olliaro^2,3

¹Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India; ²UNICEF/UNDP/WB/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), Geneva, Switzerland; ³Bases thérapeutiques des inflammations, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux II, Bordeaux, France

Abstract: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a life-threatening disease. Traditional treatment with pentavalent antimony injections has become ineffective in the area with the world’s highest prevalence of disease (North Bihar, India) and is becoming less effective elsewhere as well. A replacement is needed, best if it can be given to more patients outside the hospital. Miltefosine is the first oral drug registered for VL. Given daily under medical supervision for 4 weeks, it cures 94% of patients (both children and adults) and is reasonably safe. Miltefosine has great potential for improving access to treatment and overall control of VL and will be critical in the VL elimination campaign in the Indian subcontinent, but must be safeguarded or will be lost if misused. Its main limitations are adherence (and hence potential for selection of drug resistant parasites) and teratogenicity (pregnancy must be avoided during treatment and the following two months). This calls for responsible deployment, setting in place mechanisms to protect female patients in child-bearing age, monitoring effects and optimizing adherence in real-life conditions through directly observed therapy. One option to protect the useful life-span of miltefosine consists in shortening treatment duration by combining it with another drug.

Keywords: miltefosine, visceral leishmaniasis, kala-azar, India