Sanofi extends collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture for Phase IIb trials

French drug major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) is to extend its collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to jointly develop a new single, fixed-dose combination therapy for malaria.

This collaboration began as a three-year research project agreement in May 2011 in order to develop drug candidates from Sanofi compounds selected for their potential activity against malarial parasites. The project has been evaluated at each stage by a joint steering committee, applying MMV’s criteria for compound progression.

To date, the collaboration has yielded two potential treatments: OZ439/Piperaquine and OZ439/Ferroquine. Each of these are a single, fixed-dose combination therapy independent of artemisin.