Neurodevelopmental Disorders

100-Year-Old Drug Suramin Under Investigation As Autism Treatment

Twenty male children are to be enrolled in a phase 1 trial that will test the effectiveness of antimicrobial drug suramin in treating autism.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of an unprecedented drug therapy for autism.

The phase 1 clinical trial, which is recruiting 20 qualifying participants, will evaluate suramin — a century-old drug still used for African sleeping sickness — as a novel treatment for children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous published research by Robert K. Naviaux, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, pediatrics and pathology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues reported that a single injection of suramin reversed symptoms of ASD in mouse models.

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