Two fixed-dose artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) developed by Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and partners, artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ), will now be managed by MMV’s Access and Product Management team to help maximize their impact for the patients who need them most.

To commemorate the handover, MMV and DNDi convened a high-level event exploring 15 years of progress in the fight against malaria entitled: ‘Advances and challenges in the fight against malaria: a 15-year retrospective’. 

The event was chaired by Prof. Marcel Tanner, Director, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and opened with a keynote speech from Dr Pedro Alonso, Director, Global Malaria Programme, who provided an update on the malaria situation today and an overview of the new global technical strategy for malaria, agreed by WHO member states earlier the same day. He stressed the importance of continued innovation and research for new tools to tackle malaria, such as medicines.

A panel discussion included pertinent statements from ministers of health regarding the malaria situation in their countries, as well as from representatives of Roll Back Malaria, Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance, UNITAID, Cipla, Sanofi and Novartis.

Before passing the ball to Dr David Reddy, CEO of MMV, Dr Bernard Pécoul, CEO of DNDi, applauded his team for their work to launch the two ACTs, stating “these projects have proved how essential a nimble partnership model is to success, and how crucial the engagement and dedication of numerous public and private partners, and individuals, is to reaching a common goal.”

Dr Reddy then stepped up to take the ball as a symbol of the two ACTs joining the five already launched medicines in MMV’s portfolio, stating: “the goal is to ensure these medicines reach as many vulnerable people as possible and save lives.”

MMV and DNDi are pioneering new types of collaborations to discover, develop and deliver breakthrough treatments in neglected disease, and have built a large R&D pipeline of new medicines at various stages of research. Since the turn of the millennium, both not-for-profit product development partnerships (PDPs), have worked with both academia and industry to bring forward seven innovative new treatments against malaria. These achievements have also demonstrated the effectiveness of the PDP model, which uses funding from the public and private sectors to work with partners to develop new medicines for vulnerable populations.