Research Roundup: Progress towards a vaccine for HIV, a rapid diagnostic and experimental drug for Ebola, and congressional support for global health research

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced last week that Ariel Pabos-Mendez, the assistant administrator for Global Health, will serve as the coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival. USAID stated that his "dual role" will ensure that maternal and child health remains a “central priority” of the Bureau of Global Health. Katie Taylor, who served as the interim coordinator, was named deputy coordinator, and will continue to serve as deputy assistant administrator for Global Health. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University made a groundbreaking discovery about the pathogen that causes tuberculosis, which could ultimately lead to the development of more effective drugs and vaccines. The bacteria generates pieces of DNA that—to the immune cells—resemble and behave like a virus, and thus the immune system responds to the bacteria as though it were a virus. That virus-like piece of DNA, known as c-di-AMP, elicits the production of INF-beta proteins as part of the immune response. The scientists infected mice with tuberculosis bacterium that was manipulated to release elevated numbers of c-di-AMP molecules, and the mice survived twice as long as those infected with normal tuberculosis bacterium. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved LILETTA™, a hormonal intrauterine device developed by Medicines360, a nonprofit biotech company focused on women’s health. Medicines360 is partnering with Actavis to market and lead sales for the device. While the article notes the paucity of nonprofit pharmaceutical companies, it highlights OneWorld Health, which recently merged with PATH and whose founder also founded Medicines360. The organization, which relied on donors throughout the research and development (R&D) of LILETTA™, intends to sustain itself on sales moving forward. The Council on Foreign Relations took an in-depth look at the history of artemisinin, the leading agent used to treat malaria, from discovery through R&D for effective drugs. The search began when the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is responsible for the vast majority of malaria cases, developed resistance to existing treatments. In 1967, the Chinese government established a team of nearly 500 scientists, who identified and researched an extensive list of herbs and traditional medicines, ultimately confirming the efficacy of artemisinin in treating malaria. The article is part of a series, the next of which will focus on the market landscape and dynamics for artemisinin-based products.

The TB Alliance, a member of the Global Health Technologies Coalition, announced last week that it will be starting Phase 1 clinical trials for a new tuberculosis (TB) drug candidate. The drug, known as TBA-354, is the first new TB drug to advance to clinical trials in six years, despite the paucity of highly effective and easily administered TB treatments. TBA-354 was developed by the TB Alliance, in partnership with the University of Auckland and the University of Illinois-Chicago, using compounds from the nitroimidazole class of chemicals, which are known to be effective against drug-resistant strands of TB. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that US$2 billion per year is needed for TB research and development (R&D), yet in 2013, only $676.7 million was invested. The Atlantic took an in-depth look at gaps in reproductive health R&D, highlighting common side effects of leading contraceptives and reviewing the results of clinical trials conducted between 2008 and 2011 for a contraceptive injection for men. The article also identifies contraceptive technologies currently in the pipeline, including a reversible version of a vasectomy, an improved diaphragm, a remote-controlled implant, and more. A drug-resistant form of malaria endemic to Cambodia and found in Southeastern Myanmar has spread north to the border Myanmar shares with India. While the strain is resistant to artemisinin, the most effective agent against malaria, it can still be combatted with other drugs. Dr. Charles Woodrow, the lead author on the study, explained that in Cambodia, treatment for the resistant strain involves "combining three drugs, extending courses from three days up to five days." Scientists fear that if this new strand were to establish a foothold in India, it could rapidly spread across the globe. WHO estimates that US$750 million annually is needed to prevent and treat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), yet current foreign aid amounts to only $300 million per year. Due to the financial climate in donor countries, WHO is calling for increased domestic funding in countries where NTDs are endemic. Dirk Engels, Director of the Department of Control of NTDs at WHO, has stressed the importance of interventions that combat multiple NTDs, such as large-scale, affordable vector control programs and diagnostic interventions.