EU Malaria Fund: Sanaria to receive financing to develop Malaria vaccine
On November 5th, 2020, Sanaria entered into a contract to receive €12.9M for the development of two Malaria vaccines, one Malaria prophylactic, and a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from the EU Malaria Fund (EUMF).
The EUMF is a public-private partnership between the European Union, international organizations, corporations, and organized civic society, providing a novel funding instrument to address market failures in infectious diseases with significant relevance to public health globally. The EUMF was initiated by kENUP Foundation.
Sanaria’s PfSPZ Vaccine is a radiation-attenuated whole-organism vaccine, meaning it is a weakened form of the parasite that causes malaria. PfSPZ Vaccine elicits an immunological response in the body against the malaria pathogen, without the individual getting sick. This results in robust and durable protection. On the verge of Phase III clinical trials, PfSPZ Vaccine is positioned to be the world’s first malaria vaccine to receive marketing authorization. Sanaria’s second generation vaccine, Sanaria PfSPZ-CVac (Chemoprophylaxis Vaccine), focuses on increased potency and decreased costs. The funding also advances the research and development of human monoclonal antibodies from multiple candidates based on potency and manufacturability in order to provide immediate short-term protection against Malaria. Finally, a portion of the funding will be used to advance OraCOV, an oral, self-administered vaccine candidate against COVID-19, based on Sanaria’s work in Malaria.
Dr. Stephen L. Hoffman, Sanaria’s founder and CEO said, “Malaria continues to exact a devastating toll, especially among the most under-served populations in sub-Saharan Africa. A vaccine to prevent malaria is an essential tool for the control and elimination of this scourge, yet the funds invested in malaria vaccine research and development have been far from sufficient compared to the magnitude of the problem. We applaud the establishment of the European Union Malaria Fund (EUMF) to address this critical funding gap. Sanaria was founded to develop attenuated, whole-parasite, PfSPZ vaccines for preventing malaria and we are grateful and honored to be the recipient of this financial investment by the EUMF in Sanaria’s PfSPZ malaria vaccine program.”
The development of the EU Malaria Fund is supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and WHO. “Together with WHO’s technical expertise we are confident of accelerating the development of new and innovative tools. The investment of the EU Malaria Fund in Sanaria will meaningfully advance the renewed efforts in our fight against Malaria,” said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the World Health Organisation’s Global Malaria Programme.
Holm Keller, Managing Director of EUMF and Chairman of kENUP Foundation said: “We are very excited about this new investment. Sanaria has developed one of the most advanced Malaria vaccines worldwide. We hope that this investment will help to achieve the eradication of Malaria “.
The signing ceremony can be viewed below:
