A public health campaign has saved more than 6 million people from filarial worms, which cause elephantiasis and other grotesque maladies, in just eight years.

Massive donations from GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, made the victory possible according to a report this week in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Both companies provided antiparasitic pills, 1.3 billion of them, for the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis.

The disease, caused by nematodes that colonize the lymphatic system, affects at least 120 million people worldwide. As the worms reproduce, they cause ulcers and extreme swelling.

The antiparasitic Albendazole kills the parasites by damaging microtubules in their intestines and brains. Another drug, Ivermectin, can destroy their nervous systems. Each treatment costs less than 10 cents and often has additional benefits, ridding its recipients of infections including lice, roundworm, and hookworm.

Half a billion people will receive the parasite-killing medications this year alone. By 2020, the disease may be history.

Photo: Wuchereria bancrofti worms are among the main causes of lymphatic filariasis. Credit: Centers for Disease Control