A Simpler Cure Could Help End a Deadly Disease

Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the countries set to benefit in 2026 from a new single-dose treatment for sleeping sickness, raising hopes of eliminating the disease.

“It’s a game changer,” said Wilfried Mutombo, clinical operations lead at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative.

The new drug, acoziborole, can cure both early and advanced stages of the disease with just one dose of three pills, replacing complex treatments that previously required hospital stays and invasive procedures. In clinical trials, it cured 100% of mild cases and 95% of severe cases, with generally mild side effects. Cases of sleeping sickness have already fallen to fewer than 600 annually from tens of thousands in past decades, and the simplified treatment could expand access in remote areas, supporting global efforts to eliminate the disease by the end of the decade.