Novartis collaborates with DNDi for visceral leishmaniasis drug

Swiss pharma giant Novartis and non-profit research and development organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have signed a collaboration and license agreement to jointly develop LXE408 for visceral leishmaniasis. LXE408 is an oral treatment for this parasitic disease, which is transmitted by the bite of a sand fly, and can be life-threatening if left untreated. The drug was initially discovered by Novartis with the financial backing of the Wellcome Trust. DNDi executive director Dr Bernard Pécoul said: “Existing treatments for visceral leishmaniasis are simply not good enough. They are too long, increasingly ineffective, and can be toxic, painful, and costly. “Our hope is to radically transform this by developing new oral drugs that are affordable, safe, effective, easy to take, and can also be adapted to meet the treatment needs of patients in different countries.”