GSK and MMV collaborate in malaria treatment

Under the new agreement, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) will provide funding for research to be performed at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Research will focus on macrolide antibiotics, based on azithromycin, which may have promise as an antimalarial treatment. Macrolide antibiotics are a well-established class of antimicrobial agents that have a significant role in the treatment of infectious diseases. The research collaboration between GSK and MMV will investigate the potential of azithromycin-based drugs to treat drug resistant malaria.

Under the terms of the agreement, MMV will provide funding in order to advance the development of azithromycin-based treatments that may address resistance and side effects associated with existing antimalarial medications. Research activities thus funded will be performed in one or more GSK facilities world-wide under the joint oversight of MMV and GSK. The goal of the collaborative program is to obtain compounds with activity against P. falciparum, no antibacterial activity, good oral bioavailability and efficacy, and acceptable safety properties to ultimately select drug candidates for development.

Timothy Wells, chief scientific officer at the Medicines for Malaria Venture, said: “This collaboration with GSK capitalizes on the company’s research excellence and helps meet MMV’s objective of developing antimalarials that will retain their usefulness longer and enable us to help vulnerable populations at risk from malaria.”