Aminosidine is more effective than sodium stibogluconate in visceral leishmaniasis

Bihar in north east India accounts for about half the annual worldwide cases of visceral leishmaniasis, and resistance to standard treatment with sodium stibogluconate has been increasing. Jha et al (p 1200) compared the safety and efficacy of three doses of aminosidine with the standard regimen of sodium stibogluconate. At doses of 16 or 20 mg/kg/day for 21 days, aminosidine was significantly more effective in producing final cure than sodium stibogluconate 20 mg/kg/day for 30 days. Aminosidine also had a low incidence of adverse reactions.