Sanofi and DNDi partner on novel sleeping sickness drug

French drug major Sanofi-Aventis and the non-profit Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have signed an agreement for the development,  manufacturing and distribution of fexinidazole, a new drug for the  treatment of human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping  sickness, a fatal disease that threatens 60 million people in  Sub-Saharan Africa.

Fexinidazole will enter human testing in the first half of this year and  is the only new drug candidate in clinical development for the  condition. Under the terms of the deal, DNDi will take care of  preclinical and clinical development. Sanofi will be responsible for  the industrial development, registration and production of the drug at  its manufacturing sites. Both companies have decided to combine their  expertise to make fexinidazole available on a non-profit basis to all  patients who need it.

Sanofi's first collaboration with DNDi led to the launch of a fixed-dose  combination of artesunate/amodiaquine for the treatment of malaria. DNDi  has been addressing sleeping sickness for more than eight years.