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Press Releases
OneWorld Health Presents Field Research Data on Visceral Leishmaniasis in Collaboration with the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences-Indian Council of Medical Research, Patna San Francisco, USA And Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India - February 12, 2009 The Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), the US-based nonprofit pharmaceutical company that develops treatments for people with neglected diseases in the developing world, announced its co-sponsorship of WorldLeish4, the 4th World Congress on Leishmaniasis 2009, held last week in Lucknow, India. Delegates from iOWH presented data on their Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) access program, as well as field research results from a collaboration with the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences-Indian Council of Medical Research (RMRIMS).
Paromomycin IM Injection is approved in India for treatment in VL and is a safe, effective, and low-cost therapy. The field research data presented at the conference were directed towards developing effective options for the delivery of VL treatments in resource-constrained rural settings in Bihar, the Indian state most affected by the disease. iOWH is currently sponsoring a Phase 4 study to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of providing Paromomycin IM Injection on an outpatient basis in Bihar.
“We are pleased to present the field research in collaboration with our Indian partner, RMRIMS. As a co-sponsor of the 4th World Congress on Leishmaniasis, iOWH is committed to working with others in the efforts to treat those impacted by VL by encouraging scientific dialogue and sharing of data that will allow a more rapid response to the challenges of leishmaniasis. We believe the data from our studies, and from studies conducted by others, demonstrate that Paromomycin IM Injection is an important therapeutic agent in the treatment of this devastating disease,” said Dr. Matt Wikler, Chief Medical Officer, iOWH.
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About Visceral Leishmaniasis
VL is a systemic infection caused by various species of Leishmania parasites. On the Indian subcontinent, the infection is transmitted by sandflies and causes chronic fever, weight loss, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and anemia. Left untreated, VL is nearly always fatal. VL currently occurs in 62 countries, primarily in the developing world. Of the approximately 500,000 new cases of VL occurring annually, 90% are found in just five countries: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan and Brazil. The Indian subcontinent carries 70% of all estimated new VL cases per year worldwide, with India alone carrying 50% percent of all new cases. The most affected state in India is Bihar, but VL is also endemic in the states of Jharkand, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.
About Paromomycin IM Injection
An off-patent aminoglycoside antibiotic, paromomycin is an established drug with an extensive history of use and well-characterized safety profile. Paromomycin IM Injection is approved as a treatment for VL in India, and is administered as a once-a-day injection for 21 days. The cost of Paromomycin IM Injection is significantly lower than other currently approved VL therapies. The most common adverse reaction among patients treated with Paromomycin IM Injection was pain at the injection site (55%).
About the Institute for OneWorld Health
The Institute for OneWorld Health, the first US nonprofit pharmaceutical company, develops safe, effective and affordable new medicines for people with infectious diseases in the developing world. The Institute for OneWorld Health, headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, is a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) US corporation. (http://www.oneworldhealth.org/). Media resources are available at http://www.oneworldhealth.org/media/index.php/.
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