The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), a new public-private partnership, is bringing Japanese research and development (R&D) to the global fight against infectious disease.

It will announce at the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) a series of historic agreements to screen compound libraries at Japanese pharmaceutical companies and research institutes for new treatments for malaria, tuberculosis, and other afflictions that prey mainly on the poorest of the poor.

“These are just the first of what we expect will be many global health partnerships facilitated and funded by the GHIT Fund that tap into Japan’s enormous capacity for innovation and technology,” said Dr BT Slingsby, CEO and executive director, GHIT Fund.

GHIT Fund is a public-private partnership between the government of Japan, a consortium of Japanese pharmaceutical companies (Astellas Pharma Inc.; Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.; Eisai Co., Ltd.; Shionogi & Co., Ltd.; and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The fund is launched with a potential five-year commitment of over US$ 100 million to support research and development for neglected diseases.

It also is the first time the Japanese government, a long time top-funder of international aid, has made a significant commitment to developing new technologies that target diseases that are mainly a burden on poor countries.

The Fund’s inaugural efforts are financing the work of three non-profit product development partnerships (PDPs) to search for new drug candidates in compound libraries maintained by Japanese pharmaceutical companies and research institutes. The PDPs involved in the work are the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).

TB Alliance is partnering with Eisai Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shionogi & Co., Ltd. in a search for compounds that show potential to fight deadly, drug-resistant TB strains that are undermining efforts to control the global TB epidemic.

“These agreements enable access to the compound libraries of Japan’s top pharma companies, which could help identify tomorrow’s new and improved TB cures, involvement in TB drug research,” said Dr Mel Spigelman, president and CEO, TB Alliance.

MMV is partnering with Eisai Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., along with the Institute of Microbial Chemistry (BIKAKEN), to seek out new candidates for treating malaria. There is an urgent need for new malaria treatments as resistance to the most effective drugs now available, artemisinin combination therapies or ACTs, has emerged in Southeast Asia and could spread elsewhere.

“Working with the GHIT Fund and Japanese organisations will provide MMV access to novel Japanese compounds, expertise and support, which we hope will provide, breakthroughs in malaria,” said Dr David Reddy, CEO,  MMV.

“Japanese companies and research institutes are doing more than just giving us access to their compound libraries to identify new promising drugs to treat patients for neglected diseases,” said Dr Bernard Pécoul, executive director, Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative.

“We comprehend the urgency for new treatments and will continue to facilitate and fund partnerships to bring Japanese innovation to global health,” said Dr Kiyoshi Kurokawa, chair, GHIT Fund board.