NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH

New Sustained-Release Flucytosine Enters Phase II Trials for Cryptococcal Meningitis Amid HIV Funding Crisis

- A new sustained-release formulation of flucytosine for cryptococcal meningitis has entered Phase II trials in Malawi and Tanzania, simplifying dosing from four times to twice daily and improving administration options. - Cryptococcal meningitis, the second leading cause of death in patients with advanced HIV after tuberculosis, killed approximately 130,000 people in Africa in 2023 alone. - Recent HIV funding cuts threaten to reverse decades of progress, with experts warning of imminent stockouts of essential medicines like flucytosine and disruptions to advanced HIV disease services.