Advinus to develop drugs for neglected diseasesBS Reporter / Mumbai October 11, 2007Tata group promoted contract drug research company Advinus Therapeutics has joined hands with the Neglected Diseases initiative - a non-profit research and development organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland - for the discovery and development of novel drugs for visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar), a fatal infectious disease of developing countries including India.The collaboration, which is for a five-year period (may be extended if needed), will be the first of its kind in India to discover and develop novel therapies for the disease. The goal of the project is to progress molecules proven to be safe and active against the disease parasites in early-stage screening research, through the first steps of regulatory safety assessment in the preclinical phase, said Advinus in a release.The collaboration has been formed to specifically address unmet patient needs as current treatments have significant drawbacks, either in terms administration route, length of treatment (21 to 28 days), and emerging parasitic resistance, said the release."This collaboration reconfirms the Advinus' commitment for developing drugs to treat neglected diseases and is an extension of the Tata group
