BRIEF—Merck deal to produce new pediatric schistosomiasis med in Kenya

Germany’s Merck KGaA has entered into a contract manufacturing agreement with Universal Corporation, Kenya, a subsidiary of India’s Strides Pharma Science, for the large-scale production of a new pediatric medication, once it has been registered.

The new pediatric medication for preschool-aged children, arpraziquantel, is derived from Cesol 600 (praziquantel): it is smaller and orally dispersible, and has improved taste properties. It is currently being tested in a pivotal clinical Phase III trial in Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire to generate confirmatory data for registration.

The agreement with Universal includes the build-up of extensive production capacities in Nairobi, Kenya, for future provision of the treatment in endemic African countries. It adds to the manufacturing activities by Farmanguinhos, the federal governmental pharmaceutical laboratory of the Fiocruz Foundation in Brazil, which brings expertise to addressing production and distribution.

Merck makes it available by providing to the World Health Organization up to 250 million tablets per year and will continue delivering the treatment until the elimination of the disease. However, the vulnerable group of preschool-aged children has so far been left untreated in public health programs primarily due to the lack of an appropriate child-friendly formulation of the drug.