The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, in Japan, has announced an investment totaling approximately 260 million (¥) yen ($1.9 million) for the research and development of a new malaria drug. This investment will help identify multiple promising compounds in the early stages of research and development.

GHIT Fund will invest approximately 130 million yen in Shionogi & Co., Nagasaki University, and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) for a project to develop new antimalarial drugs, along with approximately another 130 million yen in Takeda Pharmaceutical Company and MMV's synthetic research on novel antimalarial drugs.

"GHIT Fund supports the research and development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to contribute to efforts to control and eradicate malaria," said Dr Osamu Kunii, CEO, GHIT Fund. "We hope that Japanese pharmaceutical companies along with research institutes will progress in the development of new drugs together with overseas partners. In particular, GHIT Fund has high expectations for the highly unique industry-academia collaboration between Shionogi and Nagasaki University aimed at developing a new antimalarial drug, a partnership based on the 'comprehensive collaboration in the field of infectious diseases centered on malaria' which was launched in February, 2019."

Also, at the same time, GHIT Fund has invested approximately 15 million yen in Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) for a tuberculosis screening programme.

As of March 13, 2023, there are 51 ongoing projects, including 25 discovery, 14 preclinical and 12 clinical trials in the GHIT portfolio. The total amount of investments since 2013 is 28.7 billion yen.