Unitaid Awards Medincell up to $6 million Extension Grant to Fight Malaria

MONTPELLIER, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global health agency Unitaid has awarded Medincell (Paris:MEDCL) an extension grant of up to US$ 6 million over three years to fund the clinical phase 1 activities of long-acting injectable mdc-STM. If proven safe, effective, and acceptable, mdc-STM could have a significant impact on transmission of malaria among vulnerable populations in high-transmission areas.

mdc-STM is an investigational three-month active injectable formulation of ivermectin using Medincell’s BEPO^® technology to fight malaria transmission. A previous grant of $6.4 million was awarded in March 2020 by Unitaid to fund the formulation research phase and preclinical activities of the program conducted by Medincell and the project consortium members, IRD, IRSS and CIRDES.

Medincell is committed to the fight against the major global health threats, such as malaria that remains endemic in 85 countries representing 50% of the world's population. According to WHO estimates, 249 million people were infected worldwide in 2022, 94% of them in Africa, leading to 580,000 deaths in the area.

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About Medincell

Medincell is a clinical- and commercial-stage biopharmaceutical licensing company developing long-acting injectable drugs in many therapeutic areas. Our innovative treatments aim to guarantee compliance with medical prescriptions, to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of medicines, and to reduce their environmental footprint. They combine active pharmaceutical ingredients with our proprietary BEPO^® technology which controls the delivery of a drug at a therapeutic level for several days, weeks or months from the subcutaneous or local injection of a simple deposit of a few millimeters, entirely bioresorbable. The first treatment based on BEPO^® technology, intended for the treatment of schizophrenia, was approved by the FDA in April 2023, and is now distributed in the United States by Teva under the name UZEDY™ (BEPO^® technology is licensed to Teva under the name SteadyTeq™). We collaborate with leading pharmaceutical companies and foundations to improve global health through new treatment options. Based in Montpellier, Medincell currently employs more than 140 people representing more than 25 different nationalities.

UZEDY™ and SteadyTeq™ are trademarks of Teva Pharmaceuticals

www.medincell.com

About Unitaid

Unitaid saves lives by making critical health products available and affordable for people in low- and middle-income countries. We work with partners to identify innovative treatments, tests and tools, help tackle the market barriers that are holding them back and get them to the people who need them most – fast. Since its creation in 2006, Unitaid has facilitated access to more than 100 groundbreaking health products to help address the world’s biggest health challenges, including HIV, TB, and malaria; women’s and children’s health; and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Every year, more than 170 million people benefit from the products whose deployment Unitaid has supported.

unitaid.org