Synthetic Artemisinin May Dramatically Lower Cost of Malaria Treatments

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Jay Keasling and his team have developed a synthetic form of the most commonly used malaria drug—artemisinin, which until now had to be extracted from the wormwood plant.

In partnership with One World Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, scientists use synthetic biology to produce artemisinin from the bacteria E. coli in huge brewery like tanks.”The goal is to increase the supply, then stabilize the price, then lower the price substantially,” Keasling said. He believes the price could eventually drop from several dollars a dose, to about 25 cents. It’s expected to be widely available early next year.

Read more, via abc7news.

Glaxo’s RTS,S Malaria Vaccine Shows Promise

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Preliminary results from the trial of a malaria vaccine show that it protected nearly half of the children who received it from bouts of serious malaria, scientists said Tuesday. The vaccine, known as RTS,S and made by GlaxoSmithKline, has been in development for more than 25 years, initially for the American military and now with most of its support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [Read more…]

Study Finds Malaria Vaccine Candidate, RTS,S Significantly Reduces Malaria Risk in African Infants

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First results from a large-scale Phase III trial of RTS,S*, published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), show the malaria vaccine candidate to provide young African children with significant protection against clinical and severe malaria with an acceptable safety and tolerability profile. The results were announced today at the Malaria Forum hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington.

Half the world’s population is at risk of malaria. The disease is responsible for close to 800,000 deaths each year, most of whom are children under five in sub-Saharan Africa

5 to 17 month-old children
The trial, conducted at 11 trial sites in seven countries across sub-Saharan Africa showed that three doses of RTS,S reduced the risk of children experiencing clinical malaria and severe malaria by 56 percent and 47 percent, respectively.

This analysis was performed on data from the first 6,000 children aged 5 to 17 months, over a 12-month period following vaccination. Clinical malaria results in high fevers and chills. It can rapidly develop into severe malaria, typified by serious effects on the blood, brain, or kidneys that can prove fatal. These first Phase III results are in line with those from previous Phase II studies.

The widespread coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets (75 percent) in this study indicated that RTS,S can provide protection in addition to that already offered by existing malaria control interventions.

6 to 12 week-old infants
The trial is ongoing and efficacy and safety results in 6 to 12 week-old infants are expected by the end of 2012. These data will provide an understanding of the efficacy profile of the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate in this age group, for both clinical and severe malaria.

Combined data in 6 to 12 week-old infants and 5 to 17 month-old children
An analysis of severe malaria episodes so far reported in all 15,460 infants and children enrolled in the trial at 6 weeks to 17 months of age has been performed. This analysis showed 35 percent efficacy over a follow-up period ranging between 0 and 22 months (average 11.5 months).

“The publication of the first results in children aged 5 to 17 months marks an important milestone in the development of RTS,S,” said Irving Hoffman, PA, MPH, co-principal investigator at the Lilongwe site. “These results confirm findings from previous Phase II studies and support ongoing efforts to advance the development of this malaria vaccine candidate,” said Hoffman, who is also associate professor of medicine in the UNC School of Medicine.

Long-term efficacy
The RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate is still under development. Further information about the longer-term protective effects of the vaccine, 30 months after the third dose, should be available by the end of 2014. This will provide evidence for national public health and regulatory authorities, as well as international public health organizations, to evaluate the benefits and risks of RTS,S.

Safety
The overall incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs)** in this trial was comparable between the RTS,S candidate vaccine (18 percent) recipients and those receiving a control vaccine (22 percent)

Differences in rates of SAEs were observed between the vaccines groups for specific events, such as seizures and meningitis, and were higher in the malaria vaccine group. Seizures were considered to be related to fever and meningitis was considered unlikely to be vaccine-related. These events will continue to be monitored and additional information about the safety profile of the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate will become available over the next three years.

“Making progress against this disease has been extremely difficult, and sadly, many have resigned themselves to malaria being a fact of life in Africa. This need not be the case,” said Francis Martinson, MPH, PhD, co-principal investigator in Lilongwe and country director of UNC Project-Malawi. “Renewed interest in malaria by the international community, and scientific evidence such as that we are reporting today, should bring new hope that malaria can be controlled.”

The vaccine is being developed in partnership by GSK and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), together with prominent African research centers. The partners are all represented on the Clinical Trials Partnership Committee, which is responsible for the conduct of the trial. Major funding for clinical development comes from a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to MVI.

About UNC Project-Malawi
UNC Project-Malawi, a research, clinical care and training center, was established in 1999 in partnership with the Malawi Ministry of Health. The mission of UNC Project-Malawi is to identify innovative, culturally acceptable, and relatively inexpensive methods of reducing the risk of HIV/STI and infectious disease transmission through research; strengthen the local research capacity through training and technology transfers; and improve patient care for the people of Malawi.

*RTS,S contains QS-21 Stimulon® adjuvant licensed from Antigenics Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ: AGEN), MPL and liposomes.

**A serious adverse event refers to any medical event that occurs during the course of a clinical trial and that results in death, is life threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization, or results in a persistent or significant disability or incapacity needs, regardless of whether the SAE is considered to be caused by the study vaccination. All SAEs are reported to regulatory authorities.

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Malaria Global Clinical Trials Review – 2011

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Research and Markets has announced the addition of GlobalData’s new report “Malaria Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2011.”

The report provides elemental information and data relating to the clinical trials on Malaria. It includes an overview of the trial numbers and their recruitment status as per the site of trial conduction across the globe. The databook offers a preliminary coverage of disease clinical trials by their phase, trial status, prominence of the sponsors and also provides briefing pertaining to the number of trials for the key drugs for treating Malaria.

The report was built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalData’s team of industry experts.

Scope

  • Data on the number of clinical trials conducted in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Middle-East and Africa and Asia-pacific and top five national contributions in each, along with the clinical trial scenario in BRIC nations
  • Clinical trial (complete and in progress) data by phase, trial status, subjects recruited and sponsor type
  • Listings of discontinued trials (suspended, withdrawn and terminated)

Benefits of the Report

  • Helps readers understand the dynamics of a particular indication in a condensed manner
  • Provides an abridged view of the performance of the trials in terms of their status, recruitment, location, sponsor type and many more
  • Provides a list of discontinued  trials across the globe
  • Provides an overview of the commercial landscape of the major Universities / Institutes / Hospitals or Companies

Report Table of Contents

  • List of Tables
  • List of Figures
  • Introduction
  • Malaria
  • Report Guidance
  • Clinical Trials by Region
  • Clinical Trials by Country
  • Top Five Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Asia-Pacific
  • Top Five Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Europe
  • Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in North America
  • Top Five Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Middle East and Africa
  • Top Countries Contributing to Clinical Trials in Central and South America
  • Clinical Trials by BRIC Nations
  • Clinical Trials by G7 Nations
  • Clinical Trials in G7 Nations by Trial Status
  • Clinical Trials by E7 Nations
  • Clinical Trials in E7 Nations by Trial Status
  • Clinical Trials by Phase
  • In Progress Trials by Phase
  • Clinical Trials by Trial Status
  • Unaccomplished Trials of Malaria
  • Subjects Recruited Over a Period of Time
  • Prominent Sponsors
  • Top Companies Participating in Malaria Therapeutics Clinical Trials
  • Prominent Drug Comparison
  • Clinical Trial Profiles
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Top Companies
  • GlaxoSmithKline plc
  • Clinical Trial Overview of GlaxoSmithKline plc
  • Pfizer Inc.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Pfizer Inc.
  • Sanofi
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Sanofi
  • Novartis AG
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Novartis AG
  • Sigma-Tau S.p.A.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Sigma-Tau S.p.A.
  • IPCA Laboratories Limited
  • Clinical Trial Overview of IPCA Laboratories Limited
  • EPICENTRE Biotechnologies
  • Clinical Trial Overview of EPICENTRE Biotechnologies
  • Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited
  • Dafra Pharma International Ltd.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Dafra Pharma International Ltd.
  • Sanaria Inc.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Sanaria Inc.
  • PROTO PHARMA PVT. LTD.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of PROTO PHARMA PVT. LTD.
  • CPR Pharma Services Pty Ltd
  • Clinical Trial Overview of CPR Pharma Services Pty Ltd
  • Shanghai Wanxing Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Shanghai Wanxing Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
  • Mepha Ltd.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Mepha Ltd.
  • Jomaa Pharma GmbH
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Jomaa Pharma GmbH
  • Treague Ltd
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Treague Ltd
  • Crucell Holland B.V
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Crucell Holland B.V
  • Lincoln Pharmaceuticals Ltd
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Lincoln Pharmaceuticals Ltd
  • Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Royal DSM N.V.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Royal DSM N.V.
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Top Universities / Institutes / Hospitals
  • The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • Clinical Trial Overview of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • University of Oxford
  • Clinical Trial Overview of University of Oxford
  • Gates Malaria Partnership
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Gates Malaria Partnership
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
  • Clinical Trial Overview of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
  • Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
  • Institute of Tropical Medicine
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Institute of Tropical Medicine
  • University of California, San Francisco
  • Clinical Trial Overview of University of California, San Francisco
  • Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
  • Radboud University
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Radboud University
  • University of Heidelberg
  • Clinical Trial Overview of University of Heidelberg
  • University of Cape Town
  • Clinical Trial Overview of University of Cape Town
  • African Malaria Network Trust
  • Clinical Trial Overview of African Malaria Network Trust
  • Hopital Albert Schweitzer
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Hopital Albert Schweitzer
  • DBL – Centre for Health Research and Development
  • Clinical Trial Overview of DBL – Centre for Health Research and Development
  • Hospital Clinic de Barcelona
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Hospital Clinic de Barcelona
  • Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement
  • Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
  • Makerere University
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Makerere University
  • Menzies School of Health Research
  • Clinical Trial Overview of Menzies School of Health Research
  • Key Clinical Profiles
  • Appendix
  • Abbreviations
  • Definitions
  • Research Methodology
  • Secondary Research
  • About GlobalData

More information: Malaria Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2011

Source: Business Wire

 

Mobile Phone SMS for Malaria Control

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Although malaria is preventable and curable, it is claiming over 30,000 Kenyan lives annually, but with new technology these deaths could reduce drastically. The mobile phone is the latest weapon in the war against malaria, the debilitating disease that is a leading killer in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa.

The aptly named SMS initiative uses the communication gadget to ensure stocks of malaria drugs are available in sufficient quantities where they are needed most, with the aim of eliminating stock-outs and improving accessibility to treatment. [Read more…]

Malaria Drug Side Effects Survey

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Many visitors to Malaria.com have traveled to malarial areas, so we are asking for your help. Malaria.com is conducting a survey of site visitors to compile valuable information about widely-used malaria prophylactics. We would like to hear about your experience with taking preventative medication against malaria. What drugs have you tried for malaria prevention? Have you experienced any side effects, and if so, what type?

Please click on the NEXT button below in order to help us learn more about malaria drugs and their possible side effects. [wpsqt name=” ” type=”survey”]

End Malaria Day

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It isn’t very often that a book has the power to save a life. Yes, good books can improve lives, shape lives, even change lives. But when was the last time a book literally helped save a life? If you’re reading this page, the answer is right now.

The Domino Project in conjunction with Box of Crayons is working with Malaria No More to help end malaria.

End Malaria Day

$20 from the purchase of each copy of End Malaria goes to Malaria No More to send a mosquito net to a family in need.

The organization is giving $20 from the purchase of each copy of End Malaria to Malaria No More to send a mosquito net to a family in need and to support life-saving work in the fight against malaria.

In addition to saving lives, buying this book means you can enjoy essays by 62 of America’s favorite business authors, including Tom Peters, Nicholas Carr, Pam Slim, and Sir Ken Robinson. Organized into three main sections—Focus, Courage, and Resilience — all essays in End Malaria share a desire to inspire readers to look within themselves for solutions to their everyday dilemmas and for motivation to realize their desires.

At its core, End Malaria is about doing great work, and at The Domino Project we believe there’s no better work than saving a life. Please share this book with your friends, family, and coworkers, and encourage them to join us on our quest.

More information: End Malaria Day

New Malaria Vaccine Passes Safety Test

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Most malaria vaccines under development work by including genetically engineered versions of just a handful of the thousands of proteins of the Plasmodium parasite. Those modified proteins are designed to trigger an immune response to Plasmodium, after it’s passed into the host’s bloodstream by the bite of an infected mosquito.

In contrast, says researcher Robert A. Seder of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, this new vaccine includes a deactivated version of the entire parasite. [Read more…]

Malaria Vaccine from Mosquito Saliva

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One of the more promising avenues of creating a vaccine for malaria involves going inside mosquitoes’ bodies — typically the source of the disease’s spread — to develop the key component of the vaccine.

Research published online in the journal Science today shows the barriers and future direction for that vaccine. A clinical trial of such a vaccine showed that it was safe, but that it didn’t confer immunity to enough of the study participants.

Read more, via My Health News Daily.

Scientists Target Mosquito-Borne Illness

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Of all the disease-spreading insects in the world, the mosquito poses the greatest menace, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  As if to underscore that threat, two mosquito-borne viral diseases have begun to spread well beyond their points of origin.  One is dengue fever, a potentially deadly illness, and the other is chikungunya, a debilitating and painful disease from which most people can recover. There are no vaccines to prevent these diseases.  But researchers are working hard to develop vaccines against dengue fever and chikungunya, and to control the mosquitoes that spread them.

Scientists have identified at least 3,000 different species of mosquitoes throughout the world. The Asian tiger mosquito is one that bites during the day.

The tiger mosquito’s bite is more than annoying. It’s responsible for infecting 20 million people a year with dengue fever, a flu-like illness that can result in hemorrhagic fever, shock syndrome, and even death.

“It’s almost completely spread throughout the tropics and subtropics throughout the world,” said Weaver.

Scott Weaver at the University of Texas Medical Branch confirms what other scientists are seeing, mosquitoes that can transmit dengue fever have spread though India, Southeast Asia and Latin America and are finding their way around the world. There were more than 12 confirmed cases this year in Florida, in the southeastern United States.

The tiger mosquito can also spread chikungunya, a debilitating disease that causes extreme joint pain and fever. The illness is spread as well by an African mosquito, which is also expanding its range.  Professor Laura Harrington is an insect specialist at Cornell University. She says it’s not just the mosquitoes’ range that’s changing:

“We’re also seeing changes, particularly with the viruses; we’re seeing changes in their genetic material which often can lead to increased virulence,” Harrington noted.

On top of that, mosquitoes can arrive in new destinations aboard planes and in cars.

“It’s a virus that has the ability to travel on airplanes and in infected people very readily,” Weaver added.

Weaver is working on a vaccine for chikungunya that has successfully protected lab mice from getting the virus. At Cornell, Harrington is working to make the male mosquito infertile.

“The idea is that these modified males that don’t take a blood meal could be released, mate with the wild females, the females wouldn’t reproduce, they wouldn’t take a blood meal, and the population would be eliminated or reduced,” Harrington explained.

Both scientists are concerned that if a way to control the spread of chikungunya and dengue fever is not found soon, both diseases will become established in the United States. Harrington says that techniques that prove successful against these illnesses might also be used to break the cycle of other mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria.

Source: VOA