Therapy and Further Development of Anti-Leishmanial Drugs

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that affects millions of people worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical areas, and is responsible for high mortality and morbidity. The therapies available up to the present are far from satisfactory and, since leishmaniasis affects poor people in poor regions, the development of new drugs has been neglected due to the lack of commercial motivation. Safe and orally available drugs, especially against the visceral form of the disease, are needed. An overview of the main strategies for antileishmanial drug development, mainly focused on the target-based drug development approach, is given.