Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services & DNDi Partner to Develop Critical Immunomodulator for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Therapeutic

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services recently announced a strategic supply partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative (DNDi), a collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development organization that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, for the supply of a CpG oligonucleotide, as part of a combination therapy used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis infections. This project is supported by the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund.

As part of this partnership, Aji Bio-Pharma will manufacture CpG-D35, a class of CpG oligonucleotides, which provides a strong immunostimulatory effects. CpG-D35 will be used to stimulate innate immune response in patients as an adjunct to chemotherapies in treating complicated cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), persisting parasitic infections causing severely disfiguring and stigmatizing skin lesions.

“We are excited to be able to collaborate on this oligonucleotide with DNDi and support them in their efforts to develop and supply this quality-of-life improving therapeutic for people with leishmaniasis,” said Noriyasu Kataoka, Quality Manager and President, Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services Osaka. “We are pleased to be a trusted and innovative partner to our client, while reinforcing our dedication in improving the health of humankind.”

Over 1 billion people are at risk of leishmaniasis worldwide, which is transmitted by sandfly bites. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common presentation, with about 1 million new cases annually. Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis is a complication of visceral leishmaniasis, which can appear months or years after completing treatment.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services for the supply of promising new therapeutic for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis,” said Dr. Byron Arana, Head of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Programme at DNDi. “With this partnership, we continue our goal to develop and provide safe and effective cutaneous leishmaniasis therapeutics.”

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services is a fully integrated contract development and manufacturing organization with sites in Belgium, US, Japan, and India, providing comprehensive development, cGMP manufacturing, and aseptic fill finish services for small and large molecule APIs and intermediates. Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services offers a broad range of innovative platforms and capabilities for pre-clinical and pilot programs to commercial quantities, including Corynex protein expression technology, oligonucleotide synthesis, antibody drug conjugations (ADCs), high potency APIs (HPAPI), biocatalysis, continuous flow manufacturing and more. Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services is dedicated to providing a high level of quality and service to meet our client’s needs. Learn more: www.AjiBio-Pharma.com.

A not-for-profit research and development organization, DNDi works to develop new treatments for people living with neglected diseases, notably leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, filarial infections, mycetoma, paediatric HIV, and hepatitis C. Since its inception in 2003, DNDi has delivered eight new treatments, including new drug combinations for leishmaniasis, two fixed-dose antimalarials, and DNDi’s first successfully developed new chemical entity, fexinidazole, for the treatment of both stages of sleeping sickness. Learn more at dndi.org.

The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund (PPP) between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at neglected diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases that afflict the world’s vulnerable and underserved populations. The GHIT Fund mobilizes the Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical  diseases, in collaboration with global partners. To know more about GHIT Fund, please visit https://www.ghitfund.org/.