‍Medicines Development for Global Health opens a new study site in Côte D’Ivoire

‍Medicines Development for Global Health opens a new study site in Côte D’Ivoire

Medicines Development for Global Health is pleased to announce the opening of a new study site in the Akoupé Health District, Côte D’Ivoire for the ongoing single dose study of moxidectin (Study MDGH-MOX-3002, NCT04311671). The first study site in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has already enrolled more than 6,500 people aged 12 years and over living with or at risk of onchocerciasis. The site in Côte d'Ivoire will help accelerate recruitment by including people living in areas endemic for both river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis. This study will also soon be opened to children aged 4 to 11 years old.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the “real world” use of moxidectin in typical river blindness and lymphatic filariasis-endemic community settings. The data will be used in support of the World Health Organization’s decision making regarding the inclusion of moxidectin in treatment guidelines for these diseases.

The first participants in Côte d’Ivoire were enrolled on 15 May 2023 after an intense period of capacity building and start up activities. The study is being conducted in partnership with the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire led by Dr Koudou Benjamin, Eglise du Christ au Congo – 20e Communauté Evangélique au Centre de l'Afrique in DRC led by Dr Tony Ukety, and from the Death to Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis (DOLF) Project at Washington University in St. Louis, led by Dr Philip Budge.

Moxidectin is the first new treatment for river blindness in over 30 years and is expected to accelerate elimination of this neglected tropical disease.

This project is supported with funding from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (grant number RIA2017NCT-1843-MoxiMultiDoseMod), Fond National de Recherche (FNR) Luxembourg, and Medicines Development for Global Health.

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