Novartis has formed a new partnership to support the development of its drug candidate KDU731 to treat cryptosporidiosis, a parasitic disease characterised by diarrhoea.

KDU731 is being developed as an inhibitor of the cryptosporidium lipid kinase PI(4)K (phosphatidylinositol-4-OH kinase).

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The drug candidate demonstrated favourable efficacy for treating cryptosporidium infection in preclinical studies and is currently being evaluated in safety studies before advancing into clinical trials.

Diarrhoeal diseases are reported to be the cause of around 525,000 childhood deaths each year, and cryptosporidiosis is said to be the second major factor behind infectious diarrhoea in children aged less than two years.

These statistics call for an urgent medical need requiring new and effective medications for cryptosporidiosis.

“We are committed to the fight against cryptosporidiosis and other infectious and neglected tropical diseases and are proud to work closely with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners in this effort.”

Under the latest collaboration, the firm will receive a $6.5m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation intended to advance KDU731 development for treatment by the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD).

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NITD head Thierry Diagana said: “We are committed to the fight against cryptosporidiosis and other infectious and neglected tropical diseases and are proud to work closely with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners in this effort.

“Today’s global health issues cannot be solved by one organisation alone. Private companies, governments, non-governmental organisations, academia, and other stakeholders need to work together to create sustainable solutions.”

NITD primarily focuses on the discovery and development of new drugs for malaria, cryptosporidiosis, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), chagas disease and leishmaniasis.