Recent Research Highlights Potential Of Open Access In Drug Discovery

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announced the identification of three potential drug classes for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases through the availability of hundreds of compounds in the public domain. In an effort to accelerate drug discovery for malaria and neglected diseases, MMV made available 400 diverse compounds with antimalarial activity free of charge through an open access initiative called the “Malaria Box,” launched in December 2011.

The results of DNDi’s screening, in partnership with the Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, revealed the identification of two potential drug series for the treatment of sleeping sickness and one for leishmaniasis. “Although this is still a very early stage in medicine research, these findings are exciting as it’s rare to find new compounds that can kill these pathogens, which are particularly complicated,” Tim Wells, chief scientific officer at MMV, told Intellectual Property Watch...