River Blindness

4 Pages 987 Words

In 1978 William C. Campbell approached Roy Vagelos his laboratory director for approval to develop a drug that similar to Ivermectin that would be acceptable for human use, used to kill worms in cattle and other types of animals that could kill the microorganism that causes River Blindness. Vagelos knew that by approving this project he was exposing Merck and its share holders to a drug that could not be sold, because the majority of people who needed the drug could not afford it. He also knew if he did not approve the project he would be standing in the way of perhaps wiping out a dreadful disease. Vagelos was staring a major moral dilemma right in the face.
River Blindness was immediately identified in 1893 but, by the 1970’s more than 85 million people were at risk to be infected in 35 developing countries Africa, Latin America, and Mexico. The World Health Organization (WHO) was already taking measures to try and control the humpbacked Black Fly which is the carrier of the disease. The Black Fly carries the disease much like a mosquito with malaria, it bites a person infected with malaria and then bites an uninfected person thus spreading it through the bite.
Even though fleets of trucks, helicopters and airplanes spraying insecticide were used the size of the area made it nearly impossible to try and destroy an animal that is so deeply entrenched in an eco system larger than France. Two of the drugs that were being administered were diethycarbamazine and suramin but the administration of the drug was too difficult in the areas in which they were treating and sometimes the reactions were lethal.
Campbell with the go ahead given by Vagelos began research into a drug called ivermectin it was used as a heart worm for horses, dogs and cats. He found further that in the horses it destroyed a parasite called Onchocerca cervicalis which was very similar to Onchocerca volvulus the parasitic cause of river blindness. He studied with...