Recent news
June 2011
Sanofi and DNDi sign agreement to develop new drugs for neglected tropical diseases
June 3, 2011 -- The pharmaceutical company Sanofi and the nonprofit group Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have announced a three-year research agreement for the research of new treatments for nine neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as needing new health tools to treat patients in endemic countries. Under the agreement, Sanofi will initially provide molecules from its scientific libraries, while DNDi and Sanofi will collaborate in research activities on innovative molecular structures. The rights to results produced by this partnership will be co-owned by Sanofi and DNDi. Also under the agreement, DNDi and Sanofi will facilitate publication of the results to ensure access to the wider community of researchers focusing on NTDs.
“Sanofi is committed to bringing therapeutic solutions to those most affected and exposed to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs),” said Dr. Elias Zerhouni, president of global research and development at Sanofi. “In this new research collaboration with DNDi, we have taken a firm step towards greater flexibility in the sharing of knowledge to produce new medicines.”
“This agreement is a major milestone in our access to molecules that can help combat neglected diseases,” said Dr. Bernard Pécoul, executive director of DNDi. “We believe that this level of private-sector involvement in open-research collaboration to deliver appropriate medicines as public goods is vital to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable populations of the world. The agreement allows DNDi to continue making science work more efficiently for the patients who need it most. We encourage and commend such engagement.” See the links below for more information.
