Partnership Objestives
- Collaborate in the research and development of new antimalarial drugs.
- Contribute to build capacity in pharmacovigilance in sub-saharan Africa.
Since 2008, Sanofi has shared information with MMV on its malaria drugs portfolio, for both uncomplicated and severe malaria.
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Description of partnership activities and how they address needs and challenges
Sanofi and the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) collaborate in the research and development of new antimalarial medicines, and in building capacity in pharmacovigilance in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2011 both parties agreed to work together to identify, characterize and optimize new candidate compounds. This three-year research project agreement, called “Orthology Malaria,” aims to develop drug candidates from a set of Sanofi’s compounds that have been selected for their potential activity against malaria parasites. Each stage of the project will be evaluated by the Sanofi–MMV Joint Steering Committee and assessed according to MMV’s criteria for compound progression.
In the field of pharmacovigilance, Sanofi and MMV have entered in 2009 into a partnership to support a large field-monitoring study developed in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program of Côte d’Ivoire and DNDi. The aim of this study, which is expected to involve 15,000 patients, is to assess the effectiveness and safety of Sanofi and DNDi's antimalarial ASAQ Winthrop® in real life conditions. This study is a key component of ASAQ Winthrop® Risk Management Plan (RMP) that is the first RMP submitted to the WHO and almost entirely carried out in Africa. Beyond the provision of high quality efficacy and safety data, the work performed through this RMP in close collaboration with African scientists and health officials will help build expertise on pharmacovigilance, and to design methods adapted to the needs and resources of their countries.
Since 2008, Sanofi has shared information with MMV on its malaria drugs portfolio, for both uncomplicated and severe malaria. Working groups were set up to review each of these projects and define specific collaborative actions between the two organizations for their further development.