Nifurtimox/eflornithine is a combination of two antiparasitic drugs,

nifurtimox Nifurtimox, sold under the brand name Lampit, is a medication used to treat Chagas disease and sleeping sickness. For sleeping sickness it is used together with eflornithine in nifurtimox-eflornithine combination treatment. In Chagas disease ...

and

eflornithine Eflornithine, sold under the brand name Vaniqa among others, is a medication used to treat African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and excessive hair growth on the face in women. Specifically it is used for the second stage of sleeping sic ...

, used in the treatment of

African trypanosomiasis African trypanosomiasis is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is caused by the species ''Trypanosoma bru ...

(sleeping sickness). It was developed by

Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a collaborative, patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that is developing new treatments for neglected tropical diseases, neglected diseases, notab ...

and partners and is included in the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's Model List of Essential Medicines. It is distributed in a kit with material to treat four patients, which weighs 39 kg and has a volume of 170 dm³ , making the transport to remote rural hospitals a logistical challenge. A treatment regimen known as nifurtimox-eflornithine combination treatment (NECT) is used in second stage gambiense African trypanosomiasis throughout Africa where the disease is endemic. The regimen involves slow infusion of 400 mg of eflornithine every 12 hours for 7 days combined with 15 mg/kg of nifurtimox orally three times a day for 10 days. The World Health Organization 2019 guidelines still recommend NECT in cases of advanced disease, but otherwise advise the use of

fexinidazole Fexinidazole is a medication used to treat African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) caused by ''Trypanosoma brucei gambiense''. It is effective against both first and second stage disease. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects includ ...

References

{{reflist Antiparasitic agents