Drug prevents common disease of the central nervous system
21 October 2008
The largest trial in Africa has proven the most common disease of the central nervous system in HIV-infected African people can be prevented with a pill.
Up to 10 per cent of HIV-infected African people are affected by Cryptococcal disease and about half of those people die from it. The trial, carried out by scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC), revealed African people with HIV are less likely to get the deadly disease if they take a regular dose of the drug Fluconazole.
The study will be unveiled by the MRC Uganda Research Unit on AIDS, The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) and the Ugandan Ministry of Health in Uganda today.
More than 1500 Ugandan adults infected with HIV/AIDS participated in the trial which involved taking a pill three times a week – half took a Fluconazole capsule and the other an identical-looking placebo.
The results showed one participant contracted cryptococcal disease in the Fluconazole group and 18 people developed it in the placebo group, concluding Fluconazole intake is an effective method of preventing cryptococcal disease.
Lead author of the study, Dr David Lalloo, said: “This is the largest trial to determine whether Fluconazole is an effective way of preventing cryptococcal disease in HIV-infected Africans. We have found that it is.”
Cryptococcal disease starts with the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. The fungus is more likely to lead to disease in people who have damaged immune systems, such as people who have HIV. The disease causes severe headache and is fatal unless treated.
“If this drug becomes readily available, then fewer African people with HIV will die from the disease,” Dr Lalloo said.
“Fluconazole is a safe drug which also combats a number of other fungal infections, therefore having numerous benefits for this at-risk group.”
Phone: 0207 637 6011 or 07818 428 297
press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Notes:
- Primary prophylaxis of invasive cryptococcal disease using fluconazole prophylaxis in HIV infected Ugandans is due to be published soon. Principal investigators are Dr David Lalloo and Dr Anatoli Kamali.
- The trial was conducted by the MRC, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and TASO and funded by the MRC through the LSTM.
- MRC supports the best scientific research to improve human health. Its work ranges from molecular level science to public health medicine and has led to pioneering discoveries in our understanding of the human body and the diseases which affect us all. www.mrc.ac.uk
- The MRC Uganda Research Unit on AIDS is based at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe and has several field research stations in southwest and central Uganda. It is the MRC’s leading research Unit in the field of HIV and AIDS epidemiology, prevention and care.
- The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is one of the leading medical research institutions in East Africa. It has a focus on infectious disease research, and in particular on arthropode borne infections and HIV/AIDS.
- The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) has been providing social, mental and medical care for persons living with HIV and AIDS in Uganda for more than two decades, and has enabled thousands of clients to lead a positive life in dignity and better health.
- LSTM is a registered charity affiliated to the University of Liverpool, UK. The school has extensive research links with institutions worldwide and is involved in numerous programmes to control diseases and to develop more effective systems for health care. http://www.liv.ac.uk/lstm/index.htm
