Takeda collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502) has entered into agreements with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to study DSM265 and ELQ300, two anti-malarial compounds, with the support of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund).

New compounds are urgently needed to fight malaria, as resistance to current medicines is growing. DSM265 and ELQ300, which kill the malaria parasite through inhibition of essential enzymes, are anti-malarial compounds with a long duration of action. DSM265 has entered clinical Phase I studies, and has so far shown a good safety profile. ELQ300, a preclinical candidate, would become an important tool in the control of malaria with the potential for low-dose cures or prophylaxis of the disease.

Under the agreement, MMV will conduct DSM265 clinical studies in collaboration with Takeda using its R&D expertise. MMV and Takeda will also collaborate to solve a challenging formulation issue for ELQ300 using Takeda’s CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls) expertise in solid oral dosage form development.

In June 2013, with support from the GHIT Fund, Takeda began to work with Product Development Partners (PDPs), including MMV, in a program to screen Takeda’s drug compound library for new candidate compounds that might have the potential to be developed into new drugs for the treatment of infections particularly prevalent in developing countries, such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases.