The agreement covers nine neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – kinetoplastid diseases (leishmaniass, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis), helminth infections (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis) and dracunculiasis, fascioliasis and schistosomiasis.
Sanofi will initially bring molecules from its libraries into the partnership, while DNDi and Sanofi collaborate in research activities on innovative molecular scaffolds.
The rights to results produced by this partnership will be co-owned by Sanofi and DNDi.
The partners will facilitate publication of the results to ensure access to the wider community of researchers focusing on NTDs.
The public sector is expected to benefit from the drugs developed through this agreement under the best possible conditions to ease access for patients in all endemic countries, irrespective of their level of economic development.
DNDi was established in 2003 by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation from Brazil, the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, Pasteur Institute, and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF).
WHO/TDR acts as a permanent observer.
Since 2007, DNDi has delivered four products: two fixed-dose anti-malarials (ASAQ developed with Sanofi and ASMQ), NECT (nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy for sleeping sickness) and SSG&PM, a combination therapy to treat visceral leishmaniasis in Africa.