US drug giant Gilead Sciences and the World Health Organization are expanding their partnership to combat visceral leishmaniasis, a deadly parasitic disease. The new agreement provides for the supply of treatment drugs to East African countries over the next five years. Gilead will donate more than 400,000 vials of AmBisome (amphotericin B) and provide an additional $9.2 million in financial support through 2030.
Assistance will go to countries that account for about 74% of the global disease burden, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nepal and others.
The new agreement continues the long‑standing collaboration between Gilead and the WHO. The previous three-year contract, valued at $11.3 million, ended in 2025. It provided financial aid to improve access to diagnostics and treatment in affected communities.
AmBisome became the first drug approved by the US FDA to treat visceral leishmaniasis in 1997. Thanks to the Gilead‑WHO partnership, the number of new cases in South‑West Asia has fallen by more than 95% since 2005.
Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day said that elimination of visceral leishmaniasis is possible through sustained investment. The company has already made significant progress in endemic regions by expanding access to diagnosis and treatment, he said. With the new phase of collaboration and a focus on East Africa, Gilead expects to accelerate the fight against the disease.
Visceral leishmaniasis is the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria and is found in 80 countries. The disease is transmitted through the bites of infected sandflies, affects internal organs, causing prolonged fever, weight loss, anaemia and other symptoms. Without treatment, it is fatal in more than 95% of cases, particularly affecting populations in the world’s poorest regions.
Gilead Sciences is also actively expanding access to its drugs through international partnerships. In April, the company expanded its agreement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to increase access to the twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug Yeztugo (lenacapavir). The plan aims to reach three million people in countries with high HIV prevalence and limited resources by 2028.
