Quotient Sciences Featured as part of MMV Annual Report
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Quotient Sciences have begun the first clinical trial for a long-acting injectable (LAI) preventive compound for malaria. The trial, conducted in healthy volunteers in Nottingham, UK, marks a significant step toward preventing malaria in endemic regions.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2022, there were 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths globally with sub-Saharan Africa bearing 95% of this burden. Innovations in malaria prevention are essential to respond to this ongoing public health crisis. In this trial, MMV371, a derivative of atovaquone — already approved as part of atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone®), a medicine widely used by travellers to malaria-endemic areas — is being tested in an injectable form that could provide up to 3 months of protection with a single intramuscular dose.
First-in-human clinical trial
The trial is evaluating the drug’s safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics, or how the body interacts with the medicine. The final injectable medicine will be a fixed-dose combination of MMV371 and a suitable partner drug — a strategy that reduces the likelihood of inducing resistant strains of malaria parasites.
The study is evaluating different dose levels of MMV371 in adult volunteers. If approved, this new product could potentially play a key role in protecting against new infections from all malaria parasite species, including the two most common strains, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria.
Dr. Nand Singh, Medical Director, says, "...this could be a game-changer for malaria. If successful, LAIs will support malaria eradication through prevention, cure and elimination - a significant milestone not only in drug delivery, but in fighting a disease that has impacted millions for far too long. I am confident that this technology will put endemic regions at the forefront of improving global health outcomes."
Learn more in the MMV 2024 Annual Report here.