Immtech licenses anti-malarial drug from Tulane Univ

US firm Immtech International has entered into an agreement with Tulane University for an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize a class of aminoquinoline drugs for treatment, prophylaxis and diagnosis of infectious diseases developed by the latter. Included in the class of aminoquinoline drug candidates is the lead compound called AQ13 which is targeted as a candidate for treatment of, and prophylaxis for, malaria.

In a human Phase I trial, AQ13 was shown to be well-tolerated and preclinical analysis indicates that it is highly active against Plasmodium falciparum, the most severe form of malaria. The compound has also shown good activity against resistant isolates of malaria; drug resistance is the primary cause of malaria treatment failures globally. Immtech plans to commence clinical development of AQ13 on receipt of funding from a foundation.

Daniel Schmitt, vice president, licensing and commercial development of Immtech, said: "AQ13 shows significant promise in fighting malaria and is an excellent partner for combination therapy studies with our next generation compounds."