Victor Kande

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Victor Kande Betu Kumeso
NationalityCongolese
Alma mater
Sleeping sickness research
Scientific career
InstitutionsMinistry of Health
University of Kinshasa

Victor Kande Betu Kumeso is a Congolese physician who is an expert in African trypanosomiasis. He works at the Programme National de Lutte contre la Trypanosomiase Humaine Africaine at the University of Kinshasa.

Early life and education

Kande studied medicine. At the age of 27, he was the only medical doctor for 11,000 people in Bandundu Province.[1]

Research

Kande is known as the father of sleeping sickness. He was made the Director of the Democratic Republic of the Congo sleeping sickness programme and works with the Ministry of Public Health.[1][2] African trypanosomiasis disproportionately impacts people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[3] The disease is caused by Trypanosoma brucei and usually presents in the chronic form.[4] He investigates the epidemiology of sleeping sickness.[5] He was one of the first to report of the resurgence of sleeping sickness, calling for more aid, inter-country collaboration and improved healthcare facilities and treatment options.[6]

Kande has been the principal investigator for several studies of new treatments for

DB289, which is administered as a dication prodrug to Pentamidine. He also demonstrated a high failure rate with Melarsoprol and investigated the use of Pafuramidine.[8] In a country with few passable roads or hospitals, Kande and his colleagues recruited 400 people with late stage Trypanosoma brucei for a trial of Fexinidazole sponsored by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative.[9][10] The study demonstrated that fexinidazole is an effective treatment for sleeping sickness.[11][12] The work was published in The Lancet and led to Kande being described by Richard Lehman (primary care physician) the 'true hero of medicine'.[10][11][12] Fexinidazole received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency under Article 58 in November 2018[13] and was registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2018.[14]

Kande is currently investigating

He looks for innovative partnerships between the private and public sector, such as the partnership that led to the delivery of fexinidazole by DNDi.[17] In 2018 Kande was awarded the Anne Maurer Cecchini award of the Geneva Health Forum.[12]

References

  1. ^
    ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  2. .
  3. ^ "Human African trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: disease distribution and risk - Dimensions". Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  4. PMID 16640617
    .
  5. .
  6. .
  7. ^ "Trial of DB289 for the Treatment of Stage I African Trypanosomiasis - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov". Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  8. PMID 26881924
    .
  9. ^ "Pivotal Study of Fexinidazole for Human African Trypanosomiasis in Stage 2 - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov". clinicaltrials.gov. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  10. ^ a b "Richard Lehman's journal review—13 November 2017 - The BMJ". The BMJ. 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  11. ^
    S2CID 46781585
    .
  12. ^ a b c "Award Anne Maurer Cecchini | Geneva Health Forum 2018". Geneva Health Forum 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  13. ^ CZARSKA-THORLEY, Dagmara (2018-11-16). "CHMP recommends first oral-only treatment for sleeping sickness". European Medicines Agency. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  14. ^ "Fexinidazole, the first all-oral treatment for sleeping sickness, approved in Democratic Republic of Congo | DNDi". Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  15. ^ "ASTMH 2018 – DNDi". www.dndi.org. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  16. ^ "Prospective Study on Efficacy and Safety of SCYX-7158 in Patients Infected by Human African Trypanosomiasis Due to T.b. Gambiense - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov". clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  17. ^ "ASTMH 2018 – DNDi". www.dndi.org. Retrieved 2018-11-19.