Triclabendazole for the treatment of fascioliasis

Fascioliasis is a neglected tropical disease that is commonly caused by flatworms affecting both domestic ruminants and humans. Fascioliasis currently affects roughly 17 million people globally with additional 180 million people at risk of developing infection. Despite the gigantic patient pool, clinicians typically have very few treatment options available. In this context, triclabendazole (Fasinex, Egaten) is the only medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of fascioliasis. The FDA approval has been granted in 2019 although the drug was already utilized in the veterinary setting. Recently, three hits from the Pathogen Box have been identified in vitro as exhibiting potent anti-fascioliasis activity in an effort to identify other drugs active against fascioliasis.