The World Health Organization (WHO) has come one step closer to its goal of eliminating lymphatic filariasis by 2020 with a pharmaceutical manufacturer's expansion of its drug donation program in Africa.
Officials at Merck & Co Inc announced recently that the company will donate ivermectin for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis. Merck has donated the drug for more than 10 years for the treatment of onchocerciasis, or river blindness, in Africa. Merck officials decided to expand the program after they received French regulatory approval earlier this year for the use of ivermectin to treat lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes.
Last January, WHO received a pledge from SmithKline Beecham to donate albendazole for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis. WHO has estimated that 1 billion people worldwide are at risk of contracting the illness, and 120 million in 73 countries are infected.
