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Anacor Pharmaceuticals and Medicines for Malaria Venture Extend Development Agreement for AN3661 for the Treatment of Malaria

^{Published on 2011-08-31 13:11:30 - Market Wire}
 

PALO ALTO, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Anacor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANAC) announced today that Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has extended the existing development agreement between the two organizations to fund the clinical development of AN3661, a boron-based drug candidate for the treatment of malaria.

"We were excited by AN3661 when Anacor presented the original cell biology data, and the strength of the scientific data has improved steadily over the last year"

On April 26, 2010, Anacor and MMV entered into a research collaboration to apply Anacora™s boron chemistry to identify new medicines to treat malaria. On March 17, 2011, the two organizations entered into a development agreement for AN3661, the first candidate arising from the research collaboration to enter into preclinical development. At that time, MMV agreed to provide funding for the preclinical studies. Under the expanded agreement, MMV will provide additional funding to allow completion of the Phase 1 clinical trials and a human proof-of-concept study in malaria.

aUtilizing our boron chemistry platform and MMVa™s disease expertise, we have been able to rapidly progress AN3661 through preclinical studies in preparation for clinical development,a said David Perry, Chief Executive Officer of Anacor Pharmaceuticals. aMore importantly, AN3661 appears to be acting through a novel mechanism of action, having shown potent activity against the Plasmodium falciparum parasites which are known to have resistance to a number of front-line antimalarial drugs. This orally delivered compound has demonstrated a remarkable safety andefficacy profile in preclinical studies and has the potential to become a novel and effective treatment for malaria, a disease that causes the deaths of up to one million people a year.a

aWe were excited by AN3661 when Anacor presented the original cell biology data, and the strength of the scientific data has improved steadily over the last year,a said Tim Wells, MMVa™s Chief Scientific Officer. aAnacora™s commitment to quality and efficiency has meant that working in partnership we have been able to move the molecule through preclinical development in record time. We are also happy to be working with Anacor on the next generation of molecules from this platform.a

About Malaria

Malaria is a preventable and treatable infectious disease caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. The disease kills almost one million people each year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria is the leading cause of death for children under five.

Malaria is not only a major killer in Africa but a primary cause of death and poverty - undermining development in some of the poorest countries in the world. Though the majority of the cases and the malaria deaths are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, the disease is present in Asia and Latin America.

While there are antimalarial medications available, the malaria parasite is developing resistance to them, rendering current drugs ineffective and driving the demand for innovative new therapies.

About Anacor Pharmaceuticals

Anacor is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel small-molecule therapeutics derived from its boron chemistry platform. Anacor has five compounds in clinical development, all of which were internally discovered, including its three lead programs: AN2690, a topical antifungal for the treatment of onychomycosis; AN2728, a topical anti-inflammatory PDE-4 inhibitor for the treatment of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis; and GSK 2251052, or GSK a052 (formerly referred to as AN3365), a systemic antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, which has been licensed to GlaxoSmithKline under the companies' research and development agreement. In addition, Anacor is developing AN2718 as a topical antifungal product candidate for the treatment of onychomycosis and skin fungal infections, and AN2898 as a topical anti-inflammatory product candidate for the treatment of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

About Medicines for Malaria Venture

MMV is recognized as the leading product development partnership (PDP) in the field of anti-malaria drug research and development. It was established as a foundation in 1999, and registered in Switzerland.

MMV's mission is to reduce the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and facilitating delivery of new, effective and affordable anti-malaria drugs.

MMV's 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's strength comes from its product development partnership (PDP) model reflected in its network of more than 140 pharmaceutical, academic and endemic-country partners in 37 countries. MMV also works in close partnership with a number of WHO programmes that include TDR, the Global Malaria Programme (GMP) and Roll Back Malaria (RBM).

The key to MMV's success lies in the focus of its mission, and the diversity of its team of almost 50 personnel from more than 20 countries, handpicked for their expertise and commitment to global health. Governed by the values of respect, integrity, trust and excellence, MMV is recognized for its industry-style portfolio management and wise administration of funds. It manages over USD 515 million received and committed from long-term donors such as government agencies, private foundations, international organizations, and corporate foundations. In addition, it receives in-kind donations in the form of staff, facilities, and technology from its industry partners, estimated to be equal in dollar value to the funds from donors.

MMV is currently managing the largest portfolio of antimalarial R&D projects ever assembled. Of over 50 promising projects, two MMV-supported artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), Eurartesima" and Pyramax®, are awaiting regulatory approval by the European Medicines Agency in 2011. In November 2010, Guilin's artesunate injection for the treatment of severe malaria was approved by the WHO's Prequalification programme with assistance from MMV. In addition, a child-friendly version of the ACT Coartem, was developed by Novartis in partnership with MMV and launched in 2009. In the first 26 months following the introduction of Coartem® Dispersible, more than 72 million courses of treatment were supplied to children in malaria-endemic countries. For more information visit [ http://www.mmv.org ].

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to future events, including the development of AN3661. These forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause timing, actual levels of activity, performance or achievement to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including risks related to enrollment and successful completion of our trials, risk of unforeseen side effects and risks related to regulatory approval of new drug candidates. These statements reflect the views of Anacor as of the date of this press release with respect to future events and, except as required by law, it undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this press release.