Protozoan infections are parasitic diseases that affect hundreds and millions of people
worldwide, but have been largely neglected for drug development because they affect poor people in
poor regions of the world. Most of the current drugs used to treat these diseases are decades old and
have many limitations, including the emergence of drug resistance. This review will focus on the most
recent developments, from 2001 to 2008, published in the field of patents and publications, paying
particular attention to promising compounds acting against trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, malaria,
toxoplasmosis, amebiasis, giardiasis, balantidiasis and pneumocystosis, their chemistry and biological
evaluation, and to new chemical and pharmaceutical processes.
Keywords: Drug candidates, neglected diseases, review of patents.
