ASTRAZENECA AND MMV JOIN EFFORTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MALARIA

ASTRAZENECA AND MMV JOIN EFFORTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MALARIA

AstraZeneca and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) today announced a
collaborative agreement designed to identify novel candidate drugs for
the treatment of malaria. The agreement will initially allow MMV access
to AstraZeneca's extensive compound library.  MMV will seek to identify
promising compounds with the potential to treat malaria, including drug
resistant strains of the disease. AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan
announced the collaboration at the Fortune/TIME/CNN Global Forum in Cape
Town, South Africa. 

Globally, malaria caused an estimated 863,000 deaths in 2008, mainly
amongst vulnerable populations in the developing world. Today's malaria
drugs require courses of treatment lasting days or even weeks and
follow-up can be difficult in many malaria-endemic countries.  In some
cases the disease has begun to develop resistance to existing drugs - a
problem exacerbated, in part, by failure to complete courses of
treatment.  MMV works to discover, develop and deliver new, effective
and affordable anti-malarial drugs with simpler dosing regimens thereby
encouraging patient compliance and helping reduce the risk of resistance
developing. The ultimate goal is to find a one-dose cure for malaria. 

Under the terms of the agreement, scientists working with MMV will
screen 500,000 compounds in AstraZeneca's unique library for activity
against P. falciparum, the most lethal of malaria parasites. Prof. V.
Avery at the Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies at
Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia will conduct the screening on
behalf of MMV. Promising compounds identified through the screening
process will be starting points for antimalarial drug discovery
projects. These compounds will be progressed through a discovery cascade
at AstraZeneca's R&D facility in Bangalore, India, with the aim of
identifying suitable candidates for clinical testing. 

David Brennan, AstraZeneca's CEO said: “Our experience with infection
research, and indeed with all of our R&D efforts, has taught us that we
will only find solutions to today's global health challenges through
collaborative efforts. Opening up our compound library to MMV is an
important step toward addressing the enormous unmet medical needs of the
developing world. AstraZeneca is committed to being part of the solution
and we look forward to working with MMV and all those with a stake in
global health.” 

Tim Wells, MMV's Chief Scientific Officer said:   “AstraZeneca has had a
long standing interest in neglected disease, and we are delighted to be
able to collaborate with the centre in Bangalore on this exciting
project in malaria. The screening of their library will give us some new
unique starting points.  However, the additional advantage is the Indian
perspective: India has millions of cases of malaria per year, and in
addition has a balance between Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium
vivax.  Understanding and eliminating Indian malaria is one of the keys
to eliminating malaria worldwide.”

- ENDS - 

NOTES TO EDITORS: 

About MMV
Medicines for Malaria Venture, a not-for-profit public-private
partnership, was established as a foundation in Switzerland in1999. It
is dedicated to the reduction of the malaria burden in disease-endemic
countries with the discovery, development and delivery of new, effective
and affordable antimalarial drugs. Our vision is a world in which these
innovative medicines will cure and protect the vulnerable and
under-served populations at risk of malaria, and help to ultimately
eradicate this terrible disease. 

MMV is currently managing the largest portfolio of antimalarial R&D
projects ever assembled; almost 60 antimalarial projects in partnership
with over 130 pharmaceutical, academic, and endemic-country partners in
44 countries. In 2009, in collaboration with partners, MMV launched its
first ever product - a sweet-tasting, paediatric formulation, Coartem®
Dispersible. Two other MMV-supported artemisinin combination therapies,
Eurartesim™ and Pyramax®, have been submitted to the EMA for regulatory
approval. Seven further potential medicines are in clinical development.
For more information please visit: www.mmv.org (http://www.mmv.org) 

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business
with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialization
of prescription medicines.  As a leader in gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and
infectious disease medicines, AstraZeneca generated global revenues of
US $32.8 billion in 2009.  For more information please visit:
www.astrazeneca.com (http://www.astrazeneca.com) 

CONTACTS:

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