PR85810

OSAKA, Japan, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services ("Aji Bio-Pharma"), a leading provider of

biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing services, is pleased

to announce a strategic supply partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Disease

Initiative (DNDi), a collaborative, patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug

research and development organization that is developing new treatments for

neglected diseases, for the supply of a CpG oligonucleotide, as part of a

combination therapy used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis

infections. This project is supported by the Global Health Innovative

Technology (GHIT) Fund.

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As part of this partnership, Aji Bio-Pharma will manufacture CpG-D35, a class

of CpG oligonucleotides, which provides a strong immunostimulatory effects.

CpG-D35 will be used to stimulate innate immune response in patients as an

adjunct to chemotherapies in treating complicated cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL)

and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), persisting parasitic infections

causing severely disfiguring and stigmatizing skin lesions.

"We are excited to be able to collaborate on this oligonucleotide with DNDi and

support them in their efforts to develop and supply this quality of life

improving therapeutic for people with leishmaniasis," said Noriyasu Kataoka,

Quality Manager & President, Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services Osaka. "We are

pleased to be a trusted and innovative partner to our client, while reinforcing

our dedication in improving the health of humankind."

Over one billion people are at risk of leishmaniasis worldwide, which is

transmitted by sandfly bites. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common

presentation, with about one million new cases annually. Post-kala-azar dermal

leishmaniasis is a complication of visceral leishmaniasis, which can appear

months or years after completing treatment.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services for

the supply of promising new therapeutic for the treatment of cutaneous

leishmaniasis," said Dr Byron Arana, Head of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Programme

at DNDi. "With this partnership, we continue our goal to develop and provide

safe and effective cutaneous leishmaniasis therapeutics."

About Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services is a fully integrated contract development and

manufacturing organization with sites in Belgium, United States, Japan, and

India, providing comprehensive development, cGMP manufacturing, and aseptic

fill finish services for small and large molecule APIs and intermediates.

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services offers a broad range of innovative platforms and

capabilities for pre-clinical and pilot programs to commercial quantities,

including Corynex(R) protein expression technology, oligonucleotide synthesis,

antibody drug conjugations (ADC), high potency APIs (HPAPI), biocatalysis,

continuous flow manufacturing and more. Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services is

dedicated to providing a high level of quality and service to meet our client's

needs. Learn more: www.AjiBio-Pharma.com

About DNDi

A not-for-profit research and development organization, DNDi works to develop

new treatments for people living with neglected diseases, notably

leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas

disease, filarial infections, mycetoma, paediatric HIV, and hepatitis C. Since

its inception in 2003, DNDi has delivered eight new treatments, including new

drug combinations for leishmaniasis, two fixed-dose antimalarials, and DNDi's

first successfully developed new chemical entity, fexinidazole, for the

treatment of both stages of sleeping sickness. Learn more at https://dndi.org/

About GHIT Fund

The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund

(PPP) between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome, and the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests and manages an R&D

portfolio of development partnerships aimed at neglected diseases, such as

malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases that afflict the world's

vulnerable and underserved populations. The GHIT Fund mobilizes the Japanese

industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and

diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases, in

collaboration with global partners. To know more about GHIT Fund, please visit

https://www.ghitfund.org/.

SOURCE Ajinomoto Althea, Inc.

CONTACT: info@us.ajibio-pharma.com