WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck today announced plans to initiate a Phase II investigational proof-of-concept clinical study to evaluate its oral antifungal agent posaconazole for the treatment of chronic Chagas disease. Chagas disease results from infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that is spread by biting insects. The disease is estimated to affect approximately eight million people in Latin America, of whom approximately 30-40 percent will develop serious cardiac disease, digestive disease, or both as a result of this infection. Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a neglected tropical disease, Chagas disease also is becoming an emerging health problem in non-endemic areas through migration of infected populations from endemic areas. Currently, only two drugs are approved for treatment: benznidazole and nifurtimox.
