SGS to Conduct its First Malaria Human Challenge Trial in Belgium

SGS announced that it will commence its first Malaria Volunteer Infection Study (VIS) in Belgium in February 2019 on behalf of Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a product development partnership (PDP) working in the field of antimalarial drug research.

This study will assist in the development of an advanced candidate compound from the antimalarial drug pipeline developed by MMV and partners. The compound is being studied as a potential long-acting injectable chemoprotective.

The primary objective of the trial is to test the efficacy MMV’s experimental compound in killing malaria parasites in the liver before they can develop and reach the bloodstream, thus protecting people from malarial disease. The trial will be conducted in SGS’s dedicated 20-bed unit at Antwerp’s Stuivenberg Hospital under a high level of safety and supervision.

“SGS is very proud to contribute to the global health effort to defeat malaria in the world. The malaria parasite killed 435,000 people in 2017 and infected an estimated 219 million. Fifty per cent of the world’s population are living in over 90 countries where malaria transmission occurs.1 91% of the deaths are in Africa in predominantly low-income regions. Young children and pregnant women form an especially vulnerable group, associated with a high rate of mortality and as such urgently need novel treatments. This has led to a decision by SGS to step into the field of antimalarial drug development,” commented Adrian Wildfire, Project Director, Infectious Diseases and Human Challenge Unit at SGS.

Dr. Pieter-Jan Berghmans, Investigator at SGS and Principal Investigator of this trial, continued: “As there is a continued risk of resistance to currently marketed drugs, developing new anti-malarial drugs is a high priority.”

“MMV and its partners have taken a leadership role in finding new ways to accelerate the development of new medicines to treat and prevent malaria. The compound has demonstrated potential to target malaria parasites before they have a chance to establish the symptoms of malaria, and therefore could help protect children from getting sick. In collaboration with SGS this potential will be tested in human subjects for the first time,” said Dr. Timothy Wells, MMV’s Chief Scientific Officer.