E-DRUG: PA824, new TB drug
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[copied from TBNET, with thanks. WB]
Recently, the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development announced a
Memorandum
of Understanding with Chiron Corporation, a leading biotechnology
firm, on
the license of PA824 for the development of new TB drugs. We wanted
to
share with you our enthusiasm as this is a groundbreaking agreement: a
great
step forward towards new TB drugs affordable in endemic countries and
proof of concept of our novel business model!
We have agreed with Chiron Corporation to license terms for the
development
of PA-824 as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of tuberculosis
(TB).
Under the terms of the agreement, the Global Alliance for TB Drug
Development obtains the exclusive worldwide license of PA-824 and
related
compounds for the development of a new drug to treat tuberculosis.
Dr. Maria C. Freire, CEO of the Global Alliance for TB Drug
Development,
said, "This agreement confirms that our vision can work and our
business
strategy is on track. PA-824 is the first of several promising new
drug
candidates we have under negotiation for further development, to
ensure that
innovative technologies reach patients who need new medicines.
Together with
Chiron, we are proving it's possible to combine the fruits of an
aggressive
biotech strategy with a social mission."
The announcement coincided with the release of the World Health
Organization
(WHO)'s report "Scaling Up the Response to Infectious Diseases," which
highlights new ways of doing business to help control TB, AIDS and
malaria,
including novel approaches to the development of new therapeutics.
"This agreement is an excellent case study that perfectly embodies our
report," said Dr. Gro Brundtland, Director-General of the WHO. "Chiron
and
the TB Alliance are illustrating in real terms how industry can be a f
ull
partner in developing new therapeutics to fight diseases of poverty,
thereby
unlocking critical economic opportunities for everyone."
Historic Agreement
The agreement is the first such arrangement between a private company
and a
non-profit for a new compound that could treat tuberculosis, which
infects
one third of the world's population, but is still treated with drugs
discovered up to 50 years ago.
The parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines
license
terms for PA-824 and a family of nitroimidazoles derivatives. The TB
Alliance will undertake further development of PA-824, which is
currently in
preclinical development, and/or its analogs licensed from Chiron. In
addition, provisions have been made for possible further collaboration
with
Chiron Corporation at later stages of development, including a
grant-back
option to Chiron for manufacture and
commercialization of products in developed markets. The parties have
agreed
that no royalties will be due under this agreement for drugs marketed
in
less developed economies, including impoverished countries with a high
burden of tuberculosis.
PA-824 is a novel lead compound related to nitroimidazoles, a family
of
compounds used to treat a range of infections. PA-824 has already
demonstrated in vitro activity against both drug-sensitive and
multidrug-resistant strains of TB. Early research into PA-824 has
highlighted important properties that may have the potential to permit
significant reduction in the duration of TB treatment from its present
course of 6 to 9 months. There was great excitement among the TB and
scientific communities when the first scientific report on PA-824 came
out
in June 2000.
Tuberculosis is a highly contagious, airborne disease that attacks the
respiratory system and is presently treated with a four-drug
combination
that imposes a lengthy 6-9 month treatment course. TB kills 2 million
people each year, and now is the number one cause of death of people
with
HIV infection. Moreover, among the more than 8 million new TB cases
identified each year, multi-drug-resistant strains are on the rise.
New
treatments are necessary to combat the tuberculosis epidemic, because
no new
class of drugs has been developed in 30 years. Treatment regimens
imposed by
currently approved drugs are long and cumbersome and fail to treat
resistant
strains.
"The Alliance is proving that real hope for new treatments of
tuberculosis
exists," said Carlos Morel, Chairman of the Board of the TB Alliance
and
Director of WHO's Special Program for Research and Training in
Tropical
Diseases (TDR). "When we lose someone to TB every fifteen seconds, the
urgency to find novel treatments to fight tuberculosis can not be
overstated. With access to Chiron's PA-824 program, we can envision
the
possibility of developing new drugs to make serious inroads in this
deadly
epidemic."
For more information visit www.tballiance.org or contact us.
Joelle Tanguy
Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs
Global Alliance for TB Drug Development
Joelle.tanguy@ttballiance.org
www.tballiance.org
+1 646 361 1649 (mobile)
+1 212 227 7540 x 207 (New York)
+32 2 210 02 20 (Brussels)
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