The "DNDi Project Of The Year": The Development Of Fexinidazole To Treat "Sleeping Sickness"

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 29 Jun 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The development of fexinidazole for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis, commonly known as "sleeping sickness", by DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative), along with Accelera, a business unit of Nerviano Medical Sciences (NMS), is to be honoured as one of DNDi's Success Stories of the Year. The award will be conferred today in New York, at the prestigious headquarters of the New York Academy of Sciences, during the first annual Stakeholders' Meeting of DNDi. Accelera is recognised as DNDi's key partner in the non-clinical development of fexinidazole.

"We are proud to receive this recognition," comments Dr. Marco Brughera - Vice President of Accelera - "and happy to be able to contribute to improving the health of populations living in the poorest countries. We were delighted to be selected from among several international Contract Research Organisations (CROs) to be DNDi's partner of choice for characterizing the preclinical profile of fexinidazole"

"The preclinical work to support the profiling of fexinidazole started at Accelera more than one year ago," Dr Brughera points out "and included a series of in vitro and preliminary activities followed by a full package of tolerability and safety studies as requested by Regulatory Authorities. The results obtained have allowed DNDi to proceed to the next stage of fexinidazole's development, with a quick registration being a primary goal."

Accelera carries out preclinical development activities for molecules targeting various different therapeutic classes, including collaborations aimed at defining therapeutic solutions for other "neglected diseases," such as malaria, visceral leishmaniasis, African trypanosomiasis, and Chagas' disease.

"Our pride in this recognition is twofold: on the one hand there is the satisfaction of being an active collaborator within such international projects, and on the other the knowledge that we have been able to make our contribution to a humanitarian initiative like that of DNDi," continues Giampiero Duglio, Managing Director of NMS.

About Accelera

Accelera, BU of Nerviano Medical Sciences, is a premium tier Contract Research Organization (CRO), working and collaborating with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies around the world. Committed to offering the highest levels of service throughout drug discovery and development, our expertise can make a difference, right from the start.

http://www.accelera.info

About Nerviano Medical Sciences - NMS

NMS is a research based company dedicated to the discovery and development of breakthrough new chemical entities (NCEs) for the treatment of cancer. NMS was incorporated in May 2004 as a spin-off from Pfizer and is wholly owned by the Rome-based Congregazione dei Figli dell'Immacolata Concezione (CFIC).

Nerviano Medical Sciences