Veterinary Anthelmintic Drugs
Livestock and companion animal parasites include internal worms such as nematodes (endoparasites) and external fleas, ticks, and flies (ectoparasites). Diseases caused by nematodes include heartworm in dogs and cats and intestinal roundworm infections of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Antiparasitic compounds are the dominant segment of the veterinary pharmaceuticals market with global sales of approximately $3.5 billion annually. Resistance to all major antiparasitic (anthelmintic) drug classes is now widespread in intestinal nematodes of sheep and goats. Cases of resistance are increasingly observed in the important North American cattle market. Gaps remain in the spectrum of coverage of companion animal anthelmintic drugs including poor control of whipworms and the lack of safe compounds for the elimination of adult heartworm. (See veterinary medicine).

Human Anthelmintic Drugs
Nematodes are major parasites of humans, infecting nearly three billion people worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Diseases caused by nematodes include hookworm infection, a major cause of anemia and stunted growth in children in tropical countries; Ascariasis, a gut roundworm infection, which affects over one billion people and results in decreased quality of life; and elephantiasis or filariasis, an infection of the lymphatic system resulting in grossly swollen and scarred extremities. Disease control relies on antiparasitic drugs (anthelmintics), vector control (of the mosquitoes and flies that transmit some worms), and sanitation improvements. No vaccines are available for these diseases. A major need in anthelmintic pharmaceuticals for humans is the development of a compound that is effective for the adult stage of filarial infections including lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and river blindness, a so-called macrofilaricide. Efforts underway to control or eliminate these diseases could be greatly accelerated by the availability of such a compound. Application of Divergence technology to global health such as macrofilaricide development will likely require partnerships with non-profit and government organizations, interactions that could be synergistic with for-profit development of products for agricultural and veterinary applications.