completed

The role of trypanocidal therapy in patients with established Chagas’ cardiomyopathy is unproven.

We conducted a prospective, multicenter, randomized study involving 2854 patients with Chagas’ cardiomyopathy who received benznidazole or placebo for up to 80 days and were followed for a mean of 5.4 years.

Primary outcome in the time-to-event analysis was the first event of any of the components of the composite outcome of death, resuscitated cardiac arrest, sustained ventricular tachycardia, insertion of a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, cardiac transplantation, new heart failure, stroke, or other thromboembolic event.

We concluded that trypanocidal therapy with benznidazole in patients with established Chagas’ cardiomyopathy significantly reduced serum parasite detection but did not significantly reduce cardiac clinical deterioration through five years of follow-up.


The Principal Investigator of the BENEFIT study was Carlos Morillo, then at PHRI.

Study Type

Interventional - Drug

Study Design

Randomized, double-blind, placebo control, single group assignment, treatment

NO. of Countries

5

NO. of Sites

49

NO. of Participants

2854

Study Period

2004-2015

Sponsor

PHRI

Hamilton Health Sciences

McMaster University

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

United Nations Development Program

United Nations Children's Fund

World Bank

World Health Organization Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa, Ensino e Assistência, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo

Ministerio de Salud and Fundación Bunge y Born, Argentina

Back To Top