Company Analysis - Institute for OneWorld health
Great minds think alike
Other than OneWorld's own attempts, BioCryst is the only other company according to Pharmaprojects that is actively developing a not-for profit therapy.The objective of redeveloping shelved or already developed drugs is not only utilized by OneWorld Health. CombinatoRx is a US company, which works to 'repurpose' old drugs, producing novel, fixed-dose combinations that are more efficacious or lack the associated adverse effects of single agents. By using the safety data already produced and filing patent applications for the new combinations, reformulation has proven to be faster and more economical than the development of novel pharmaceuticals. Whilst CombinatoRx has 2 drugs in clinical development at present for cancer and arthritis, again demonstrating the apparent unattractiveness of developing candidates for less profitable disease areas. Vice-President Daniel Grau did state in 2004 that the company may begin work on an anti-HIV combination within the coming years, and that if a foundation partner could be identified, it would be willing to avoid patent filing on the new formulation in order to quicken the drug’s journey to those in need; a significant step in the right direction. CombinatoRx also has an antiviral project for hepatitis-C in early preclinical development.
Other non-profit organizations have followed suit. The DNDi is a Geneva-based collaboration of 7 previously separate foundations that, whilst not performing any scientific research itself, hopes to provide centralized management for non-profit drug development. This principle is based on the premise that current non-profit drug development is often fragmented and disorganized due to the lack of backing and resources. By providing those missing elements, projects could be more efficient and cost-effective. DNDi plans to spend US$250million over the coming 12 years to promote therapy development for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and Chagas’ disease. Initial funding has been provided by the Medecins Sans Frontieres.
In the area of Chagas’ disease, Celera Genomics divested its drug candidate, K-777, to OneWorld Health. The cysteine protease inhibitor was in preclinical development by OneWorld Health using funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but was identified as hepatotoxic and, due to the additional concern of the complex manufacturing process, had to be discontinued. Other than OneWorld's own attempts, BioCryst is the only other company according to Pharmaprojects that is actively developing a not-for profit therapy. No further information about the research of the benzoic acid and pyridine derivatives has been provided since however. Returning to focus on its other disease areas, OneWorld Health has since published the details of its analysis of the 'landscape' of Chagas’ disease in the hope that the sharing of such information will assist Chagas’ therapy projects. Whilst this project did not reach fruition, 2 important concepts can be celebrated: profit-motivated pharmaceutical organizations are willing to donate projects to the cause, and OneWorld Health stands by its own concepts and leads by example in sharing information that other companies may withhold for confidentiality reasons.
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