Under terms of the agreement, Merck, whose researchers discovered the candidate, has granted Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) an exclusive, royalty-free license to pursue development of the investigational candidate for the treatment of malaria in malaria-endemic countries.
Merck retains the option to become MMV’s development partner upon completion of the first Phase II clinical trial of the candidate. Also within the agreement Merck has committed to not ultimately profiting from its use in developing countries.
Dennis Schmatz, vice president Merck Research Laboratories, said: “There remains a significant need for the development of novel drugs to treat and prevent life-threatening malaria infections due to the increasing emergence of resistance to current therapies.
“It is also important that these new drugs are cost-effective and curative after only a few days of therapy. By partnering with MMV on this project we hope to accelerate the clinical development of this promising candidate to hopefully meet these needs.”