The first clinical trial of a new vaccine for Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) also known as ‘kala azar’ has been launched by the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), a Seattle-based nonprofit that develops products to prevent, detect, and treat diseases of poverty. The Phase 1 trial is taking place in Washington State, with a companion Phase 1 trial planned in India, an epicenter of the disease.
Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic disease spread through the bite of a sandfly. Visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in 76 countries worldwide. In East Africa, regions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan are particularly affected and causes about 500,000 cases and 50,000 deaths each year.