Our episode last week ended on a hopeful note, a rare occurrence for this podcast, and it was due in large part to the incredible decline in reported cases of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) over the past decade. In this bonus episode, we explore one of the major reasons behind this drop in HAT: the new medication fexinidazole, developed through a partnership between the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a non-profit organization dedicated to developing new treatments for neglected diseases and Sanofi, a French healthcare company. We are thrilled to be joined by two researchers from DNDi, Dr. Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft and Dr. Wilfried Mutombo Kalonji, who share their insights into the challenges associated with bringing a medication all the way from its development stage, to testing it in the field, and finally ensuring that access is provided for those who need it most. We also chat about how this treatment works, the impact that COVID-19 has had on screening efforts for sleeping sickness, the lessons learned from fexinidazole’s development, and so much more. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts! And when you’re finished with the ep, check out this beautiful video from DNDi chronicling the story of fexinidazole: A doctor’s dream: A pill for sleeping sickness.
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Ep 140 Nipah virus: Of Fruit and Bats
Special Episode: Dr. Sara Manning Peskin & A Molecule Away from Madness
Ep 139 Supplements: “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA”
Ep 138 Fever: Take it to the limit
Special Episode: Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens & Medical Bondage
Ep 137 ME/CFS: What’s in a name? (A lot, actually)
Ep 136 Long Covid: A long time coming
Ep 135 Menopause is whatever you want it to be
Ep 134 Tonsils: Underestimated and underappreciated
Ep 133 Parvoviruses: Who let the dogs (and their viruses) out?
Ep 132 Osteogenesis Imperfecta: All bones about it
Ep 131 Parkinson’s Disease: Dopamine & discoveries
Ep 130 Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish
Ep 129 Lymphatic Filariasis: Hiding in plain sight
Ep 128 Skin Cancer: We love and fear the sun
Ep 127 Bhopal: The 1984 Union Carbide Disaster
Ep 126 Migraine: A Cacophony in Four Movements
Ep 125 Blastomycosis: How fungus became amongus
Ep 124 The full spectrum of color vision deficiency
Ep 123 Hand, Foot, and Mouth (and Butt?) Disease
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