This week, Dr. Eugenio de Hostos, our director of Research and Preclinical Development, was invited by the National Institutes of Health to present at the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases International Research in Infectious Diseases meeting in Bethesda, MD. The meeting brought together scientists, government agencies, academic researchers, and private industry/foundations with an interest in neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Bangladesh, cholera hospital. Photo by: Jonathan Torgovnik©
Dr. de Hostos highlighted the product development partnership (PDP) model as an efficient and effective approach to developing NTD drugs and vaccines. He explained that PDPs, such as those run by OneWorld Health and our parent organization PATH, bring together a collection of partners who otherwise would not have the resources to fully address their common global health targets. By harnessing these resources, PDPs bring the rigor and expeditiousness formerly associated only with large pharmaceutical companies to the arena of vaccine and drug development for NTDs. Dr. de Hostos shared some examples of our PDP success stories, including the development of new medicines to treat malaria, cholera, and visceral leishmaniasis.
You can read about our work on diarrheal disease here.
Dr. Eugenio de Hostos, OWH
About Dr. Eugenio de Hostos, director of Research and Preclinical Development
Dr. de Hostos joined OneWorld Health in 2008 and currently directs the research and preclinical activities of the Diarrheal Diseases Program. He is also team leader of the Helminth Program and a member of the external funding and portfolio development teams. Prior to joining OneWorld Health, he was a research scientist at Cytokinetics and Exelixis (South San Francisco, CA) and was an assistant professor at Rice University. He has been involved with the Master of Biotechnology Program at San Jose State University since 2007 and serves as adjunct associate professor. He received his B.S. in 1983 from Yale University and a PhD in 1989 from Stanford University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich and at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his MBA with a focus on socially and environmentally responsible business at the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco in 2010.
Future Directions in Malaria: Accelerating Progress
On April 19th, our parent organization PATH held a breakfast event dedicated to the World Malaria Day. The event featured a panel of PATH leaders, and the discussion focused on future directions in development of vaccines, prevention and control, and drug treatments for malaria.
Hugh Chang, our interim global program leader, participated in the discussion on behalf of OneWorld Health. He spotlighted the Artemisinin Project – our initiative to stabilize supply of artemisinin by creating an alternative source of this key ingredient in current malaria medications.
Click here to watch a live webcast from the event.
Click here to learn more about the Artemisinin Project.
Stable supply of artemisinin—important step toward making malaria a disease of the past
OneWorld Health commemorates World Malaria Day and looks at making progress and impact in the global fight against malaria
Later this year, we will reach a major milestone in the fight to eradicate malaria globally. Nearly eight years ago, together with our partners, we launched an innovative project to develop a stable, reliable, and cost-effective source of artemisinin, a key ingredient in the gold standard of malaria treatment, artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). Thanks to funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the work of our partners the University of California, Berkeley; Amyris; Sanofi; and the National Research Council Plant Biotechnology Institute of Canada, semisynthetic artemisinin will be available to World Health Organization (WHO)–qualified ACT manufacturers by late 2012 or early 2013. In turn, stable source of this lifesaving compound will ensure a more reliable supply of malaria treatment to patients across the globe.
ACTs have been deemed essential antimalarial medicines by WHO, but the world’s supply of artemisinin has not been reliable. Derived from the sweet wormwood plant, the growing and harvesting cycle for natural artemisinin can take 12 to 18 months. Moreover, supply is volatile due to rapid market growth and price and demand fluctuations. To address this, we teamed up with our partners to find a way to produce the compound in a lab and establish a continuous supply throughout the year. Our production partner, Sanofi, anticipates that 40 tons will be produced by late 2012 or early 2013, and the amount is expected to increase in the next year. Continuous advancements to the manufacturing process will only further increase the amount produced and reduce the price.
Malaria elimination is possible but requires work on multiple fronts. Prevention, improved diagnosis, and increased access to treatments all need to be part of the multifaceted solution. Today, hundreds of millions still suffer and die from this terrible illness, but by harnessing the power of synthetic biology and creating strong partnerships, we can help change that. As access to lifesaving medications like ACTs increases, the global health community is taking one more important step toward the goal of making malaria a disease of the past.
Today we mark World Water Day
The United Nations has set today for the world to turn attention to the importance of safe water and the problems that arise when people lack access to it. According to UNICEF, more than 880 million people lack access to clean, fresh water worldwide, and another 2.5 billion do not have access to basic sanitation. Each year, an estimated 3.5 million people die from water-related disease.
Photo by Jonathan Torgovnik©
Unsafe water supply and lack of sanitation are leading causes of diarrheal diseases, which kill 1.3 million children every year – most of them children under five. Children who survive one or multiple bouts continue to suffer. The malnourishment it causes leaves them weaker and less able to do well in school. The worst part is that all of this death and suffering is preventable.
OneWorld Health (OWH) stands firm in its commitment to bring new safe, effective, and affordable treatments to people burdened by neglected diseases. Its new medication to treat secretory diarrhea, currently at the end of Phase 1 trial, is aimed to help those who needlessly suffer from diarrheal diseases. To be used along with current oral rehydration therapies, the new drug is designed to address the severe fluid loss that accompanies cholera and other secretory diarrheas. This means less suffering and a shorter course of treatment.
OWH salutes all individuals and groups that work to bring safe drinking water and improved sanitation to people throughout the world.
Sources:
Black RE, Cousens S, Johnson HL, et al. Global, Regional, and National Causes of Child Mortality in 2008: A Systematic Analysis. The Lancet. 2010;375(9730):1969-1987.
Water.org. http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/
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Happy 8th of March – International Women’s Day!
Today the world marks International Women’s Day.
We hope you join us in marking this day as a celebration of women and girls around the globe!
Dear Friends,
On my way back from the 2012 Polio Summit, which took place at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, I was filled with a sense of joy. During the summit, the announcement was made that the World Health Organization (WHO) has removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries, following one year without a single polio case. For many of us sitting in the room, this was a moment of our hopes being realized. We literally leapt off our seats in elation, joining in a thunderous applause that filled the room.
The meeting was graced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as well as Health and Family Planning Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, members of WHO, Rotary International, and international NGOs. In his address, Minister Singh emphasized the efforts of volunteer health workers who have relentlessly vaccinated children since 1995 in the Pulse Polio Campaigns, reaching into the most remote areas despite often poor weather conditions and other hardships. The Minister also rightly reminded us that the battle is won but the war against polio is ongoing.
All of us involved in public health work in India, have at some point or another had a brush with polio and participated in polio eradication initiatives. This is a moment of real accomplishment for all—for India and for each one of its citizens. We must all join our hands to sustain this status in whatever way we can, and help remaining polio-endemic countries accomplish the same.
Next step—polio-free.
Jai ho India!
Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh, VP & Head of South Asia, OWH
For more on this announcement, please see: http://www.thehindu.com/health/article2931523.ece.
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OWH’s Treatment for Kala-Azar Gains Registration in Nepal
Today we are thrilled to announce that our antibiotic Paromomycin Intramuscular Injection (PMIM), developed to treat visceral leishmaniasis (VL or kala-azar), has been registered by the government of Nepal. This is the second registration for PMIM in South Asia. It was previously registered with the government of India and added to the National Lists of Essential Medicines of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It was also added to the World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines.
Now that the treatment is registered in Nepal, OWH will move forward with our partners on public health studies to help the government determine the best way to distribute and use the treatment in its public health system throughout the VL-endemic regions.
What is visceral leishmaniasis?
With approximately 500,000 new cases occurring annually, visceral leishmaniasis is the world’s second most deadly parasitic disease after malaria. Fatal if untreated, the official death toll for VL each year is between 50,000 and 60,000. VL is endemic in 79 countries, and primarily afflicts rural, resource-poor populations in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iraq, Sudan, and Brazil, where affordable therapies are needed.
Learn more about kala-azar: Kill or Cure: Kala-Azar
What is Paromomycin Intramuscular Injection?
An off-patent aminoglycoside antibiotic, paromomycin is an established drug with an extensive history of use and a well-characterized safety profile. OWH developed PMIM as an effective, inexpensive, and safe treatment for VL, and worked with the Indian government and Indian pharmaceutical company Gland Pharma to manufacture and distribute the treatment. PMIM is administered as a once-a-day injection for 21 days. The cost of a course of treatment with PMIM is less than US$20, which is significantly lower than other currently approved VL therapies.
Please visit our website for more information – www.oneworldhealth.org.
Photos by: Jonathan Torgovnik ©
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OneWorld Health Named One of the Top 100 NGOs
OneWorld Health (OWH) was included in The Global Journal’s inaugural ‘Top 100 Best NGOs’ list last week! We entered this first international ranking of its kind at #65.
The Journal emphasized that OWH was created to address inequality gaps in medical treatments for diseases that receive limited investments, yet profoundly affect people living in developing countries. It also spotlighted the product development partnership (PDP) nature of OWH, which allows this drug development non-profit to reach its goals efficiently and cost-effectively.
“We have made a lot of progress in our efforts to fulfill the promise of medicine for people of the developing world,” said Hugh Chang, OWH’s Interim CEO. “Our project to produce semi-synthetic artemisinin will make it possible for this compound to reach greater number of malaria patients; our pioneering treatment for kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) has been expanded to more areas than ever; and our efforts to develop a new drug to treat secretory diarrhea are moving closer to phase 2 clinical trials. We are grateful for having our work and our innovative spirit recognized by The Global Journal.”
About OneWorld Health
OneWorld Health discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable new treatments for neglected infectious diseases afflicting children in the developing world. For more information, please visit www.oneworldhealth.org.
OneWorld Health is an affiliate of PATH, an international nonprofit organization that transforms global health through innovation. To learn more about PATH, visit www.path.org.
AboutThe Global Journal
The Global Journal is a print and online publication based in Geneva and New York that covers the issues and players shaping global governance today. Committed to providing compelling and insightful content distinguished by the highest journalistic standards, The Global Journal features exclusive interviews with key players, covers current debates and thought-provoking ideas, and offers in- depth reports and compelling images to a growing international audience.
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OneWorld Health Safety and Efficacy Study of Kala-Azar Treatment in Bangladesh Moves Forward
OneWorld Health (OWH) announced completion of enrollment for an effectiveness study of Paromomycin Intramuscular Injection (PMIM) as a treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL or kala-azar) in Bangladesh. With 120 patients enrolled, the study is investigating the safety and efficacy of treatment of kala-azar with PMIM mono-therapy in VL-endemic areas of the country.
With approximately 500,000 new cases occurring annually, kala-azar is the world’s second most deadly parasitic disease after malaria. Fatal if untreated, the official death toll for VL each year is between 50,000 and 60,000. VL is endemic in 65 countries, and primarily afflicts rural, resource-poor populations in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sudan and Brazil, where affordable therapies are needed.
Working with researchers who are experts in the treatment of kala-azar, and scientists at the Centre for Communicable Diseases, icddr,b (an international public health research institution based in Dhaka), OWH’s effectiveness study is gathering information on how safe and efficacious PMIM mono-therapy for VL is on a regional level, as well as its feasibility in the government health system in Bangladesh. By conducting clinical trials at sites that are removed from urban centers, the study will also contribute to local capacity building for research and treatment of this deadly disease.
OneWorld Health to become an affiliate of PATH
Organizations share commitment to solving global health problems
South San Francisco, CA – December 16, 2011 – OneWorld Health (OWH) and PATH today announced that OWH will become an affiliate of PATH, bringing its drug development expertise and experience in neglected infectious diseases to bear on PATH’s mission of improving global health through innovation.
“PATH is excited to welcome OneWorld Health into our organizational family,” said Dr. Christopher J. Elias, president and CEO of PATH. “OneWorld Health has a successful track record in developing and delivering effective, affordable drugs to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Their work complements PATH’s broad portfolio of projects focused on delivering high-impact, low-cost solutions to global health problems.”
Dr. Richard Chin, CEO of OWH, stated, “We are delighted that two organizations that have a similar deep commitment to people in developing countries will join together. The complementary skills of PATH and OneWorld Health will lead to a fully integrated product development and delivery platform across both drugs and vaccines, improved economies of scale, and most importantly, superior ability to save lives.”
PATH and OWH share a commitment to advancing health technologies to reach those most in need and a focus on diseases that disproportionately impact the developing world, including malaria and diarrheal disease.
OWH, based in South San Francisco, was founded in 2000 and became the first nonprofit pharmaceutical company in the United States. The organization, which also has offices in New Delhi and Patna, India, currently works on drug development projects for diseases that include diarrheal disease, malaria, and visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease spread by sand flies.
PATH, based in Seattle since its inception in 1977, is a nonprofit global health organization that operates offices in 34 cities in 23 countries. PATH currently works in the areas of emerging and epidemic diseases, health technologies, maternal and child health, reproductive health, and vaccines and immunization.
The affiliation builds on PATH’s long history of health technology development while strengthening PATH’s presence in India. It offers new opportunities for PATH to pursue integrated strategies that support PATH’s longstanding commitment to reducing the toll of diarrheal disease, malaria, and other urgent global health problems.
By becoming a PATH affiliate, OneWorld Health will be able to scale and accelerate its successful drug development efforts, which include developing a semisynthetic version of artemisinin, a key component in treating malaria, to help provide an affordable, stable source of the drug, alleviate shortages, and meet global demand. OneWorld Health will remain a nonprofit organization operating out of its South San Francisco headquarters.
On finalization of the transaction, Dr. Chin will transition out of his role as CEO of OWH. He has agreed to serve as an advisor for a limited period of time.
About PATH
PATH is an international nonprofit organization that transforms global health through innovation. PATH takes an entrepreneurial approach to developing and delivering high-impact, low-cost solutions, from lifesaving vaccines and devices to collaborative programs with communities. Through its work in more than 70 countries, PATH and its partners empower people to achieve their full potential. For more information, please visit www.path.org.
