New Consortium to Develop Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases
LEIDEN,
been formed to boost drug development for the treatment of two deadly
diseases, African sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis, which affect millions
of people worldwide. A total budget of nearly
allocated over the next 4 years, to develop effective drugs for these
diseases. The consortium includes IOTA Pharmaceuticals, Mercachem, Nycomed,
the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, the Royal Tropical Institute,
the University of
investigator, comments: “African sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis are
diseases caused by parasites. Both diseases are prominent on the World Health
Organization’s list of neglected tropical diseases for which no effective
medication is available.” The new consortium will target parasite-specific
phosphodiesterase to develop and screen drug candidates for clinical
evaluation and the treatment of both diseases. Leurs continues: “This new
project combines the knowledge and experience of leading European
laboratories and promises to make a major contribution to the treatment of
neglected tropical diseases.”
African sleeping sickness
Recent WHO estimates indicate that approximately 60 million people are at
risk of contracting the African sleeping sickness (also called human African
trypanosomiasis) with an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 new cases occurring each
year. The disease appears in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and is
endemic in south-east
Africans each year. The African sleeping sickness parasite, most commonly
Trypanosoma brucei, is transmitted to humans by tsetse fly bites.
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is found in many tropical and sub-tropical countries, in
settings as diverse as the rainforests in Central and
deserts in
developing the disease, with as many as 12 million people worldwide being
infected, and 1.5-2 million new cases occurring each year. Leishmaniasis
presents in cutaneous, visceral and mucosal forms, with the visceral form of
the disease alone having an estimated incidence of 500,000 new cases each
year, and causing 60,000 deaths. Many different Leishmania species are
implicated in the disease, which is transmitted by sand flies.
Neglected diseases framework
Neglected diseases such as African Sleeping Sickness, Leishmaniasis and
Malaria, represent a major economic burden on developing countries. Within
its project portfolio, TI Pharma is seeking to develop solutions to these
diseases, mobilizing public and private partners in multilateral consortia -
bringing together a wide range of competences and resources. This new project
on phosphodiesterase is TI Pharma’s sixth initiative in neglected diseases.
Other projects focus on:
- the development of a protective malaria vaccine;
- a 'proof of concept' vaccine for Chikungunya;
- an effective HIV therapy;
- drug formulations that can resist tropical conditions without
refrigeration for both oxytocin and insulin as well as vaccines for
hepatitis B and influenza;
- fixed dose combinations of formulations for drugs, applicable to
combination therapies in many diseases, including neglected diseases.
For more information on TI Pharma’s projects on neglected diseases,
please visit
http://www.tipharma.com/research/priority-medicines/neglected-diseases
SOURCE TI Pharma