The DOLF Project (dolfproject.wustl.edu) is proud to announce publication of an important paper on the safety and efficacy of a triple drug combination treatment (IDA) for lymphatic filariasis (LF) in India. With almost 9,000 participants, this was the largest of five IDA safety and efficacy studies that DOLF coordinated with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This study had special importance, because India (with more than 400 million people at risk for the disease) has the world’s largest LF burden. The study (conducted in Yadgir district in South India) showed that IDA was well tolerated and much more effective than the comparator regimen (DEC plus albendazole) for clearing filarial parasites from the blood. Results from this study and a companion study of the acceptability of IDA (now in press) were important factors in India’s decision to roll out IDA to accelerate its national LF elimination program. The government of India has distributed more than 50 million doses of IDA since WHO endorsed the new regimen in late 2017. The paper (lead author Dr. P. Jambulingam from the Vector Control Research Centre in Puducherry) was published with open access in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009069