A parasitic worm that lives in black flies endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, and South America causes river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis.

Although an estimated 17 million people worldwide are currently affected by the disease, only a small number of cases have been reported in Asia.

Seven onchocerciasis-related early-stage pipeline products are currently in development. Two vaccine drug candidates are in the pre-clinical stage out of these. Pai Life Sciences, Onchocerciasis Drugs Development Market, is developing these products, which are referred to as Ov-103 and Ov-RAL-2.

Ov-103 and Ov-RAL-2 administration has been shown to elicit protective immunity in mice using animal models. Because memory T cells are more likely to proliferate when polysaccharide adjuvants are administered alongside vaccines, this effect is more potent.

Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode, is the cause of river blindness, which is characterized by rashes, pruritus, and nodules under the skin. River blindness can cause sclerosing keratitis, which can cause complete vision loss as well as mild visual impairment.

Options for treatment There is currently no vaccine that can prevent infection, and the treatments that are available can have fatal side effects.

Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and ivermectin have been used to treat river blindness for a long time. However, these medications have side effects like swelling, dry skin, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness.

In addition, the use of ivermectin in conjunction with commonly prescribed medications is not recommended. Statins, HIV protease inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, benzodiazepines, and glucocorticosteroids like dexamethasone are examples of these.

This is especially problematic because river blind patients live in areas where the aforementioned contraindicated medications are frequently used to treat comorbid conditions.

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The World Health Organization's list of neglected tropical diseases includes river blindness, which affects approximately 90% of the visually impaired population worldwide.

To alleviate symptoms and lessen the disability caused by the disease, therapeutic solutions are being sought that do not require long-term administration or complicated dosing arrangements.

Even though the vaccines are still in the pre-clinical stage, there is hope for millions of children and adults who are at risk of contracting river blindness because the disease is only spread through the bite of an infected female black fly.