Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and its CRDMO arm Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kainomyx, a US-based company with a proprietary platform that helps target cytoskeletal proteins of parasites, a novel mechanism of action for the development and commercialization of affordable anti-malarial drug in the U.S., Europe, and in low and middle-income countries. The MoU remains subject to signing of a definitive agreement.
Malaria is a serious health challenge that has a disproportionate prevalence in vulnerable populations of low-income countries. As per WHO, 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 cases of malaria death were reported in 2022. It has been widely reported that climate change will increase the incidences of such vector-borne diseases. With this collaboration, the companies intend to drive a comprehensive research and development agenda to leverage their strengths and accelerate the program.
Under the MoU, Kainomyx has agreed to lead the technical strategy and associated aspects for drug discovery and clinical phases, Aurigene has agreed to focus on developing cost-effective and scalable drug chemistry, and while the program evolves, Dr. Reddy’s will bring in its regulatory and market access expertise.
Deepak Sapra, CEO – API and Services, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., said: “Public health and access is a strategic area for us and malaria continues to be a very important disease that needs innovative as well as affordable medicines. The MoU with Kainomyx is a promising step in that direction and towards improving global health outcomes and delivering on Dr. Reddy’s vision to reach 1.5 billion patients by 2030.”
Akhil Ravi, CEO, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Ltd., adds: “We are excited to collaborate with Dr. James and the Kainomyx team given their expertise in bringing innovative medicines to market. We share the same vision of addressing global health issues by serving neglected populations.”
James Spudich, Executive Chairman of Kainomyx, said: “New drug discovery for Malaria and other parasitic diseases is essential because drug resistance to existing therapeutics is rapidly developing. Through our decades of work, we have developed a deep understanding of how cytoskeletal proteins work. Cytoskeletal proteins are essential for all living organisms, and we are exploiting this to specifically target the cytoskeleton for treatment of Malaria. I am delighted that in our molecules’ journey to market we will be forming a partnership with Dr. Reddy’s and Aurigene who have demonstrated their experience and
expertise through their work in public health.”
