This research screened a library of drug-like molecules for activity against five causative agents of eumycetoma, a neglected fungal disease. Four compounds (fenbendazole, carbendazim, tafenoquine, and MMV1578570) inhibited all five species in vitro, and four (fenbendazole, MMV1782387, ravuconazole, and olorofim) prolonged survival in an infected insect model. Benzimidazole carbamates, a class including fenbendazole and carbendazim, emerged as particularly promising candidates.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Open Access Policy supported the work performed by MMV on the Pandemic Response Box presented in this study. No other conflicts were disclosed by the authors.

This study uses a creative open-source approach to screen a diverse library of compounds for activity against a neglected tropical disease. The identification of several promising candidates, including already-approved drugs that could be repurposed, is a significant step forward. The methodology is sound, but the reliance on an invertebrate in vivo model is a notable limitation.