A 30-day benznidazole regimen offers safer Chagas disease treatment option

Six treatment strategies compared over three years

Fewer side effects with 30 days of benznidazole 

Halved treatment was just as effective

Three years after treatment, the parasite remained undetectable in the blood of 94% of participants in the 30-day group, compared with 95% in the standard group, demonstrating the treatment's non-inferiority. The 30-day regimen, the team said, therefore offered the best balance between benefits and harms of the six strategies tested. The nifurtimox regimens were less effective overall.

What TESEO means for UTEP

The seven-year trial, funded by an approximately $8 million award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was completed despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with partial support from UTEP's Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC).

Next steps

Larger phase 3 trials are needed to confirm these results before the 30-day regimen can be incorporated into treatment guidelines, and people currently receiving treatment for Chagas disease should continue the regimen prescribed by their doctor, the team said.

Source:

University of Texas at El Paso

Journal reference:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(26)00436-6/abstract