Pharma Industrial India Magazine - July - August 2024

NEWS PHARMA INDUSTRIALINDIA · JUL-AUG 24 11 Dr. Reddy’s, Aurigene and Kainomyx to Jointly Develop Affordable Anti-Malarial Drug Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and its CRD- MO arm, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Ser- vices, have signed a non-binding Mem- orandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kainomyx, Inc. Kainomyx is a US-based company with a proprietary platform that helps tar- get cytoskeletal proteins of parasites, a novel mechanism of action for the development and commercialization of affordable anti-malarial drug in the US, Europe, and in low and middle-income countries. The MoU remains subject to the 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, an alarming number of 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 cases of malaria death were reported in year 2022. It has been widely reported that climate change will increase the incidences of such vec- tor-borne diseases. With this collabo- ration, the companies intend to drive a comprehensive research and develop- ment agenda to leverage their strengths and accelerate the program. Under the MoU, Kainomyx has agreed to lead the technical strategy and asso- ciated 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 ex- pertise. Deepak Sapra, CEO – API and Ser- vices, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., said, “Public health and access is a strategic area for us and malaria contin- ues 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 out- comes and delivering on Dr. Reddy’s vision to reach 1.5 billion patients by 2030.” Akhil Ravi, CEO, Aurigene Pharmaceu- tical Services Ltd., added, “We are ex- cited to collaborate with Dr. James and the Kainomyx team given their exper- tise in bringing innovative medicines to market. We share the same vision of addressing global health issues by serving neglected populations.” Champalimaud Foundation, a biomed- ical clinical research organization car- rying out research and cutting-edge clinical development and discoveries that benefit people, and Lonza have an - nounced the installation of Lonza’s MO- DA-ES Platform at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre in Lisbon, Portugal. Through the installation of MODA-ES, the Champalimaud Foundation plans to improve and streamline the cell ther- apy manufacturing process, thereby increasing accessibility of life-saving therapies for patients with cancer with unmet medical needs. In collaboration with academic and in- dustry partners, the Champalimaud Foundation has built a state-of-the-art multipurpose GMP facility to develop biologically and clinically promising cell therapies with industrial standards. The foundation sought a paperless solu- tion to ensure the safety of cell produc- tion, unlock transparency for current and future partners, and monitor the complex production process from re- agent purchase to final product release. Based on these requirements, the Champalimaud Foundation selected Lonza’s MODA-ES Platform. This config - urable manufacturing execution system (MES) is designed specifically for cell and gene therapy production. It con- solidates all manufacturing batch and batch-related quality control data into a single record for reduced errors, greater visibility, and expedited product release. The platform provides advanced trace- ability and genealogy workflows, which helps to ensure the chain of identity and custody in complex decentralized cell and gene therapy manufacturing pro- cesses. Champalimaud Foundation to Leverage Lonza MODA-ES Platform to Advance Cell Therapy Manufacturing