The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund announced a total investment of approximately JPY 2 billion (USD 12.7 million¹) in eight projects for the development of new diagnostics and drugs for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and malaria.² 

JPY 670 Million (USD 4.2 Million¹) Investment in a Critical Diagnostic Tool to Combat Leishmaniasis
There is an estimated 700,000 to 1 million new cases annually of leishmaniasis, an NTD caused by Leishmania parasites transmitted through sandfly bites.³ To advance measures against the disease, the GHIT Fund has decided to invest JPY 670 Million (USD 4.2 Million¹) to support a project led by the Ohio State University in collaboration with Nagasaki University and icddr,b, an international health research organization based in Bangladesh. Building on previous research, the project will refine formulations of the leishmanin antigen, conduct pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies, and prepare for regulatory submissions for clinical trials. This project aims to strengthen efforts to monitor infection status and eliminate visceral leishmaniasis. The initiative, driven by global partnerships, is expected to make a significant contribution to tackling NTDs and advancing global health.

The GHIT Fund will also invest in two malaria projects: approximately JPY 680 million (USD 4.2 million¹) for the development of a malaria therapeutic drug through a partnership between Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and approximately JPY 585 million (USD 3.7 million¹) for the development of a preventive drug for P. falciparum malaria under the partnership of Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), GSK Global Health, Eisai and Ehime University.

The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership (PPP) fund that was formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests in and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at addressing neglected diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases, which afflict the world's vulnerable and underserved populations. In collaboration with global partners, the GHIT Fund mobilizes Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.