Sanofi and MMV to create new malaria therapy

Sanofi has extended its existing collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to encompass the creation of a new treatment for the deadly parasitic disease.

The companies have been working together since May 2011 to develop potential drug candidates from Sanofi's compound library. This work has now yielded two potential treatments – OZ439/Piperaquine and OZ439/Ferroquine.

Under the expanded collaboration, phase IIb trials for OZ439/Ferroquine will begin this summer, with a phase IIb study of OZ439/Piperaquine having already begun. Upon their completion, a joint steering committee will decide if either treatment is worth advancing to phase III testing.

It is thought that these new combination therapies would be administered in a single dose, meaning they would be an improvement over the three-day courses associated with current treatments.

Gary Nabel, chief scientific officer at Sanofi, said: "By joining the fight against infectious diseases around the world and extending the successful collaboration with MMV, we aim to stay one step ahead of this ever-changing threat and work together toward the eradication of malaria."