Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (SHA: 600196, HKG: 2196) has received financial backing of JPY 500 million (USD 3.3 million) from the Japan-based Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund for a Phase III trial of a triple artemisinin combination drug aimed at treating malaria. Fosun Pharmaceutical is developing a fixed-dose formulation combining artemether, lumefantrine, and amodiaquine to combat the disease.
The project enjoys additional support from Japanese investment company Marubeni, the Thailand-based research collaboration of universities known as the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), and the product development partnership Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). This triple artemisinin combination drug is considered essential in addressing the partial artemisinin resistance (ART-R) observed in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), encompassing parts of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. As part of the development, a child-friendly version of the drug is also in the works.- Flcube.com
