The product is one of four combination therapies recommended by WHO since 2001 to thwart the emergence of resistance to malaria drugs. It will be available in all markets, including public ones at a preferential price.
DNDi said the drug provides a simple a once-a-day regimen, is accessible, as a non-patented drug, at an affordable price and is quality assured. The drug will be available at a “no profit-no loss” price to public organisations in countries where malaria is endemic.
“This new fixed-dose combination has been adapted to patients’ needs by being simple to use, more affordable and a quality product,” said Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director of DNDi. “The fact that [it] is made so affordable right from the start and is not under patent removes a significant barrier to its availability and should serve as a model for future drug development for neglected diseases.”
DNDi is an independent, not-for-profit drug development initiative established in 2003 by five public-sector research organisations, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Brazil, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Malaysian Ministry of Health and France’s Institut Pasteur, and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Hit list of twenty-two
With a current portfolio of 22 projects, DNDi aims to develop new, improved, drugs for neglected diseases, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and Chagas disease. DNDi also raises awareness about the need for greater R&D for neglected diseases and strengthens existing research capacity in disease-endemic countries.
The development of the ASAQ malaria drug was started in 2002. It was speeded to market through a combination of fast track development, testing and registration, supported by partners at Bordeaux II University, France; Oxford University, UK; Universiti Sains Malaysia; Mahidol University, Thailand; Farmanguinhos, Brazil; TDR in Switzerland; and the Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme in Burkina Faso.
The project received financial support from the European Union, Agence Française de Développement, the Swiss Development Cooperation, the Dutch and UK governments, and Médecins sans Frontières.
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