DOLF investigators are beginning a follow-up study on the efficacy of a new combination treatment for lymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis in the Akoupé district of Côte d’Ivoire. This study began July 4th and builds upon a large-scale community survey sponsored by Medicines Development for Global Health (MDGH).
This study aims to determine whether moxidectin plus albendazole is more effective than ivermectin plus albendazole at clearing larval parasites (microfilariae) from the blood (LF) and skin (onchocerciasis). The current DOLF study aims to test those individuals from the MDGH study who were positive for LF or onchocerciasis 12 and 24 months after their initial treatment by MDGH. These follow-ups will be carried out at community health centers in the Akoupé district of Côte d’Ivoire. Researchers will compare post-treatment levels of Mf (W. bancrofti and O. volvulus) in participants to their pre-treatment levels. “The primary goal of the study,” said Dr. Budge, one of the co-investigators of the study, “is to see whether a single dose of moxidectin plus albendazole results in prolonged clearance of Onchocerca or LF microfilariae, from skin and blood, which will prevent transmission of infection.”
This study will be the first to report on the combination of moxidectin plus albendazole for onchocerciasis and will add to existing data on comparing MoxA and IA for treating LF. The results of this study will help inform the best strategies for eliminating LF and onchocerciasis globally.
The principal investigators for this study are Benjamin Koudou, PhD, Catherine M. Bjerum, MD, PhD, and Philip J. Budge, MD, PhD.