The GHIT Fund has committed JPY 1.37 billion (USD 8.5 million) to five R&D projects targeting malaria and neglected tropical diseases, including preclinical antimalarial development and multi-country trials for eumycetoma treatment fosravuconazole.
The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has announced a total investment of approximately JPY 1.37 billion (USD 8.5 million) across five research and development projects for malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), according to official disclosures. The largest allocation, JPY 700 million (USD 4.4 million), supports preclinical development of an antimalarial drug intended for treatment, chemoprevention, or single-encounter radical cure and prophylaxis (SERCAP).
The partnership includes Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Japan), and the University of Georgia (US). Separately, JPY 330 million (USD 2 million) will fund open-label clinical trials in Kenya, Senegal, and India for fosravuconazole to treat eumycetoma, a chronic disfiguring NTD, led by Eisai Co., Ltd. and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
This development matters because malaria affects over 280 million people annually, with more than 95% of cases in Africa and over 75% in children under five. Existing antimalarials face resistance, while eumycetoma has no randomized controlled trial-evaluated drug. The fosravuconazole trials address prior limitations small sample size, single-country data (Sudan), and limited pathogen diversity to support WHO recommendation and regulatory registration. Industries impacted include biopharmaceuticals, global health R&D, and public health policy.
Stakeholders include health ministries in endemic countries, philanthropic health funds, and drug manufacturers.
For investors, GHIT’s continued funding de-risks late-stage NTD development, though commercial returns remain constrained by pricing and access models typical of global health partnerships.
The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based public-private partnership that finances R&D for infectious diseases affecting low- and middle-income countries.
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