Press Release

March 30, 2023

A Total of Approximately 400 Million Yen Investment in Eisai, Ehime University, DNDi and Others for New Drug and Vaccine Development for Neglected Tropical Diseases

The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund announced today an investment totaling approximately 400 million yen (US$2.9 million1) for the research and development of new drugs against mycetoma and onchocerciasis, which are Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), as well as a vaccine against malaria.2

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes 20 NTDs,3 which are infectious diseases caused by parasites, bacteria, fungi, toxins and viruses prevalent mainly among the poor in tropical regions. NTDs afflict over 1.6 billion people4 in the world and have until now received limited attention in terms of the development of therapeutic interventions, partly due to the lack of market incentives. Since its inception, the GHIT Fund has invested in new product development with the aim of contributing to global health via Japanese technology and innovation to address infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and NTDs, which threaten the health of the world’s poor.

 

Approximately 300 Million Yen Investment in a Drug for Mycetoma

The GHIT Fund will invest approximately 300 million yen (US$2.2 million1) in a project by Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) for regulatory approval and to prepare for patient access to drugs for eumycetoma. Mycetoma, an NTD, is a progressive disease that destroys subcutaneous and deep tissues infected by bacterial or fungal invasion through a wound. Painless and slow progression delays detection and treatment of the disease, leading to amputation of the affected area or even death.5

 

Dr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of the GHIT Fund, said “We have continued to invest more than 500 million yen (US$4 million1) since 2017 in the development of mycetoma drugs by Eisai and DNDi, including this recent investment, to support their efforts to control NTDs. We hope this treatment will be quickly approved and reach patients as soon as possible, during GHIT’s third five-year plan.”

 

The GHIT Fund will also invest approximately 70 million yen (US$0.5 million1) for the development of an mRNA vaccine against malaria by Ehime University and Mahidol University and 30 million yen (US$0.22 million1) in an onchocerciasis6 drug development project by BoZo Research Center, DNDi, University Hospital Bonn, and Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU).

 

As of March 30, 2023, there are 53 ongoing projects, including 26 discovery, 15 preclinical and 12 clinical trials in GHIT Fund’s portfolio. The total amount of investments since 2013 is 29.1 billion yen (US$213 million).

 

 

1 USD1 = JPY136.34, the approximate exchange rate on February 28, 2023.

2 These awarded projects were selected and approved as new investments from among proposals to RFP2022-002 for the Target Research Platform and Product Development Platform, which was open for applications from June 2022 to January 2023.

3 Reference: World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/health-topics/neglected-tropical-diseases

4 Reference: World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/news/item/30-01-2023-more-countries-eliminate-neglected-tropical-diseases-but-investments-key-to-sustain-progress

5 Reference: World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mycetoma

6 Onchocerciasis (river blindness) is a parasitic disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus which can lead to blindness. More than 99% of infected people live in 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Reference: World Health Organization (WHO)  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/onchocerciasis