Drug | Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|---|
Melarsoprol | Only treatment available for years, can be used for both g-HATa and r-HATb | Derived from arsenic and can cause reactive encephalopathy, fatal in 3–10% |
Eflornithine Monotherapy | Less toxic than melarsoprol | Can only be used for the treatment of g-HAT, requires 56 infusions over 14 days, inpatient admission, sterile equipment and trained hospital staff |
Nifurtimox-Eflornithine Combination Therapy (NECT)b | Decreased the overall incidence of disease and relapse rates at 18 months as compared to eflornithine alone, and is less toxic than melarsoprol | Can only be used for the treatment of g-HAT (1st line), requires inpatient admission, sterile equipment and trained hospital staff |