Sanofi-aventis and MMV to develop malaria treatments
Sign joint three-year research project agreement
French drugmaker sanofi-aventis has signed a three-year research project agreement with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), based in Switzerland, to develop malaria treatments.
Both parties will work together to identify new candidate compounds to treat malaria and conduct early development programmes to demonstrate proof of concept in man.
The research project, called Orthology Malaria, aims to develop drug candidates from a set of sanofi-aventis’ compounds selected for their potential activity against malaria parasites. Each stage of the project will be evaluated by a sanofi-aventis/MMV joint steering committee and assessed according to MMV’s criteria for compound progression.
Elias Zerhouni, president, Global Research & Development, sanofi-aventis, said: ‘This new partnership will enable us to mobilise each organisation’s expertise, resources and know-how to identify novel medicines for malaria patients.’
David Reddy, ceo of Medicines for Malaria Venture, added: ‘The development of new malaria medicines requires the existence of a generous cache of promising compounds of which only a handful will emerge as groundbreaking treatments, after a series of rigorous trials.
‘Working with the committed sanofi-aventis team will help us fill that cache. Given the emerging threat of resistance to artemisinin in S.E. Asia, now, more than ever before, we need to ensure we have alternatives to fight this terrible disease.’
