Merck Serono and MMV partner on new antimalarial therapy

Merck Serono has signed a new agreement with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) that will see the organisations allying to develop a potential antimalarial therapy.

The deal will allow Merck Serono to obtain the rights to the investigational antimalarial compound DDD107498 from MMV, thus supporting the company's goal of developing therapies for neglected tropical and poverty-related diseases.

DDD107498 originated from a collaboration between MMV and the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit. Studies will focus on how the compound exerts impacts the activity on a number of parasite lifecycle stages, and whether it can remain active in the body long enough to be used as a single-dose treatment against the most severe disease strains.

Luciano Rossetti, executive vice-president and global head of research and development at Merck Serono, said: "MMV is known worldwide for its major contribution to delivering innovative antimalarial treatments to the most vulnerable populations suffering from this disease, and at Merck Serono we share this goal."

This follows the recent announcement that Merck Serono will also be working with Intrexon on a new cancer drug research collaboration in the coming months.