Press Release
A Total of USD 12.7 Million Investment in New Diagnostics and Drug Development for NTDs and Malaria to Partners including The Ohio State University, PATH, GSK and Others
The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund announced today a total investment of approximately JPY 2 billion (USD 12.7 million1) in eight projects for the development of new diagnostics and drugs for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and malaria2.
JPY 670 Million (USD 4.2 Million1) Investment in a Critical Diagnostic Tool to Combat Leishmaniasis
There is an estimated 700,000 to 1 million new cases annually of leishmaniasis, a NTD caused by Leishmania parasites transmitted through sandfly bites3. To advance measures against the disease, the GHIT Fund has decided to invest JPY 670 Million (USD 4.2 Million1) to support a project led by the Ohio State University in collaboration with Nagasaki University and icddr,b, an international health research organization based in Bangladesh. Building on previous research, the project will refine formulations of the leishmanin antigen, conduct pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies and prepare for regulatory submissions for clinical trials. This project aims to strengthen efforts to monitor infection status and eliminate visceral leishmaniasis. The initiative, driven by global partnerships, is expected to make a significant contribution to tackling NTDs and advancing global health.
The GHIT Fund will also invest in two malaria projects: approximately JPY 680 million (USD 4.2 million1) for the development of a malaria therapeutic drug through a partnership between Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and approximately JPY 585 million (USD 3.7 million1) for the development of a preventive drug for P. falciparum malaria under the partnership of PATH, GSK Global Health, Eisai and Ehime University.
In addition, the GHIT Fund will invest in the following five screening projects for a total amount of approximately JPY 83 million (USD 0.5 million1):
1) Screening project against malaria by MMV and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.
2) Screening project against Dengue and Zika by Eisai and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)
3) Screening project against Lassa fever by MMV and RIKEN
4) Screening project against Rift Valley fever by MMV and RIKEN
5) Screening project against Ebola and Marburg by MMV and RIKEN
Please refer to Appendix 1 for detailed descriptions of these projects and their development stages.
As of January 30, 2025, the GHIT Fund has invested in 37 projects, including 15 discovery projects, 14 preclinical projects and 8 clinical trials4. The total amount of investments since 2013 is JPY 35.8 billion (USD 226 million1) (Appendix 2).
1 USD1 = JPY158.15, the approximate exchange rate on December 30, 2024.
2 These awarded projects were selected and approved as new investments from among proposals to RFP2023-002 and RFP2024-001 for the Product Development Platform and the Screening Platform, which were open for applications from June 2023 to July 2024.
3 WHO: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/leishmaniasis
4 This number includes projects in the registration phase.