Condition

African trypanosomiasis

Clinical trials and treatment information for African trypanosomiasis

50K
People Affected
5
Active Trials
10K
New Cases/Year
1,055
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Fexinidazole
95% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 65% Safety• 10 trials• 700 participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 1200 mg/day for 4 days, then 600 mg/day for 6 days (adults)
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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65
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Within 2-4 weeks post-treatment

Duration

10 days

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

90%

Common Side Effects:

Nausea: 50%
Vomiting: 30%
Dizziness: 20%
Headache: 15%
Skin reactions: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200

Monitoring

$500

Side Effects

$160

Total Annual

$860

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

5

Cost per Remission

$956

Cost per Responder

$905

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) White Blood Cell (WBC) Count100 cells/µL
-90% (-90 cells/µL)
Peripheral Blood Trypanosome Density100 trypanosomes/mL
-100% (-100 trypanosomes/mL)
Neurological Impairment Score (on a 0-20 severity scale)15 points
-75% (-11.25 points)
Systemic Symptom Score (on a 0-15 severity scale for fatigue, fever, headache)12 points
-80% (-9.6 points)
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin (Hb) Level10.0 g/dL
+10% (+1.0 g/dL)
Body Mass Index (BMI)17.0 kg/m^2
+12% (+2.0 kg/m^2)
Quality of Life (QoL) Score (e.g., using WHOQOL-BREF scale)40 points on a 0-100 scale
+50% (+20 points)
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+50%
Vomiting
+30%
Dizziness
+20%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 2Phase 3Phase 4
2
NECT (Nifurtimox-Eflornithine Combination Therapy)
96% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 55% Safety• 2 trials• 2K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Eflornithine 400 mg/kg IV q6h for 7 days; Nifurtimox 15 mg/kg/day orally divided in 3 doses for 10 days
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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55
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Within 2-4 weeks post-treatment

Duration

10 days (Eflornithine IV for 7 days, Nifurtimox oral for 10 days)

Response Rate

96%

Remission Rate

92%

Common Side Effects:

Diarrhea: 60%
Anemia: 40%
Leukopenia: 30%
Vomiting: 25%
Seizures: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$300

Monitoring

$1,200

Side Effects

$303

Total Annual

$1,803

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

4

Cost per Remission

$1,960

Cost per Responder

$1,878

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) White Blood Cell Count80 cells/microL
-96.25% (-77 cells/microL)
Severity of Neurological Signs Score (e.g., based on sleep-wake cycle, motor, cognitive function)10/15 (severe neurological impairment)
-80% (-8 points)
Parasite Load (Blood by quantitative PCR)100,000 copies/mL
-99.999% (-99,999 copies/mL)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life Score (WHOQOL-BREF)35/100 (very poor)
+128.57% (+45 points)
Daytime Sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale)18/24 (excessive sleepiness)
-77.78% (-14 points)
Cognitive Function Score (e.g., Mini-Mental State Examination)15/30 (severe impairment)
+66.67% (+10 points)
Common Side Effects
Diarrhea
+60%
Anemia
+40%
Leukopenia
+30%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
3
Pentamidine
95% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 60% Safety• 1 trials• 5K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: 4 mg/kg IM or IV daily for 7-10 days
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Within days, full effect after treatment completion

Duration

7-10 days

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

90%

Common Side Effects:

Hypotension: 40%
Hypoglycemia: 20%
Nephrotoxicity: 7%
Abdominal pain: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200

Monitoring

$700

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$1,000

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

3.5

Cost per Remission

$1,111

Cost per Responder

$1,053

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Trypanosome Count (Blood, thick smear)Average 5 trypanosomes/field
-100% (-5 trypanosomes/field (to undetectable))
Fever Episodes per Week7 (daily)
-85.7% (-6 episodes/week (from 7 to 1))
Lymph Node Swelling Score (0-3 scale)2.5 (moderate-severe)
-80% (-2.0 points (from 2.5 to 0.5))
Fatigue Severity Score (0-10 scale)8/10 (severe fatigue)
-75% (-6 points (from 8 to 2))
Secondary Benefits
Hemoglobin10.0 g/dL (moderate anemia)
+18% (+1.8 g/dL)
Body Weight50 kg (for an average adult)
+6% (+3 kg)
WHOQOL-BREF Physical Health Domain Score (0-100)40/100
+75% (+30 points (from 40 to 70))
Common Side Effects
Hypotension
+40%
Hypoglycemia
+20%
Nephrotoxicity
+7%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Suramin
95% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 55% Safety• 1 trials• 3K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Test dose 100-200 mg IV, then 20 mg/kg IV on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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55
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Within days, full effect after treatment completion

Duration

5-7 weeks

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

90%

Common Side Effects:

Renal toxicity: 15%
Peripheral neuropathy: 7%
Hypersensitivity reactions: 5%
Nausea: 20%
Fever: 25%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$400

Monitoring

$1,500

Side Effects

$200

Total Annual

$2,100

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

3.5

Cost per Remission

$2,333

Cost per Responder

$2,211

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Trypanosome Detection in Blood/LymphDetectable by microscopy (e.g., Wet Smear, QBC)
-100% (From detectable to undetectable)
Peak Daily Body Temperature39.5 °C
-6.3% (-2.5 °C)
Lymph Node Palpability/Size (Winterbottom's Sign)Score 3 (Multiple enlarged, firm, non-tender nodes)
-66.7% (Reduction of 2 points on a 0-3 scale)
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)90 mm/hr
-77.8% (-70 mm/hr)
Secondary Benefits
General Well-being Score3/10 (Poor)
+133.3% (+4 points on a 0-10 scale)
Body Weight50 kg (due to disease-related wasting)
+6% (+3 kg)
Hemoglobin Level10.0 g/dL (mild anemia)
+15% (+1.5 g/dL)
Common Side Effects
Renal toxicity
+15%
Peripheral neuropathy
+7%
Hypersensitivity reactions
+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
Melarsoprol
85% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 25% Safety• 1 trials• 10K participants
MODERATE EvidencePoor ValueDose: 1.8-3.6 mg/kg IV daily for 3-4 days, repeated after 7-10 days, total 3 series
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
25
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Within days, full effect after treatment completion

Duration

3.5 weeks (3 series of 3-4 daily injections)

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

80%

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

15

Common Side Effects:

Reactive encephalopathy: 7%
Peripheral neuropathy: 10%
Myocardial damage: 5%
Vomiting: 50%
Death from side effects: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200

Monitoring

$7,000

Side Effects

$2,000

Total Annual

$9,200

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

2

Cost per Remission

$11,500

Cost per Responder

$10,824

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
CSF White Blood Cell Count80 cells/µL
-95% (-76 cells/µL (to <5 cells/µL))
Trypanosomes in Cerebrospinal FluidPositive (present)
-100% (Eradication (from positive to negative))
Neurological Symptom Severity Score7/10 (Hypothetical Trypanosomiasis Neurological Score, higher is worse)
-85.7% (-6 points (e.g., from 7 to 1))
Peripheral Blood ParasitemiaPositive (trypanosomes observed)
-100% (Eradication (from positive to negative))
Secondary Benefits
Body Weight48 kg
+10% (+4.8 kg)
Karnofsky Performance Status40/100 (significantly impaired)
+75% (+30 points (e.g., from 40 to 70))
Hemoglobin Level9.0 g/dL
+33.3% (+3.0 g/dL (e.g., from 9.0 to 12.0 g/dL))
Common Side Effects
Reactive encephalopathy
+7%
Peripheral neuropathy
+10%
Myocardial damage
+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4