Global Health EDCTP3 invests €39 million to advance novel antimalarial compounds, a repurposed antiviral, and a triple therapy for severe malaria. Co-funding from Pharmaceutical companies, product development partnerships and research institutions brings the total investment to more than €76 million.
Global Health EDCTP3 has invested over €39 million in four new clinical research projects to accelerate the development of next-generation malaria treatments, including novel antimalarial compounds, a repurposed antiviral drug and new combination therapies for severe malaria. CUREMAL, FACT, RAMP and WANECAM 3 projects will conduct clinical trials across sub-Saharan Africa to address some of the most urgent threats to malaria control, including emerging drug resistance and the need for more effective, easier-to-administer treatments.
The €39 million from Global Health EDCTP3 has leveraged €37.5 million in co-funding, bringing the total contribution towards the four projects to more than €76 million. This combined investment convenes drug developers, product development partnerships and clinical trial centres around the same programme with a shared strategic agenda, and it is what enables compounds still on the laboratory bench to be tested in the children and adults who need them most.
A narrowing window to prepare the next treatments
The investment comes at a critical moment in the fight against malaria. While artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have substantially reduced malaria deaths over the past two decades, artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites have been detected in several countries across East and Central Africa. Although widespread treatment failure has not yet occurred, the emergence of drug resistance underscores the need to strengthen the pipeline of new medicines before current treatments lose their effectiveness.
Malaria continues to kill more than 600,000 people every year, with most deaths occurring among children in sub-Saharan Africa. By investing in the development of new treatments now, Global Health EDCTP3 aims to ensure that effective medicines remain available as the malaria parasite continues to evolve.
WANECAM 3: Towards a single-dose cure with next-generation combinations
The WANECAM 3 project will test one of the most ambitious ideas in malaria research: a potential single-dose cure based entirely on non-artemisinin drugs. The goal is to move beyond current three-day ACT regimens, which remain effective but are undermined by poor adherence; up to half of patients are estimated not to complete treatment, increasing the risk of resistance.
‘A single-dose malaria cure based on drugs with novel mechanisms of action would have several advantages. It would be active on ACT-resistant infections, improve adherence, and reduce the risk of resistance.’
Prof. Martin P. Grobusch, Head of the Centre of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine at the Amsterdam University Medical Centre and WANECAM 3 spokesperson.
The project will evaluate a combination of three investigational compounds, cipargamin (KAE609), INE963 and MMV533, each with fast-acting or long-lasting antimalarial properties and no detected resistance when used together. A phase II programme will first test safety and efficacy in children and adults across Africa, followed by a large multi-country phase III trial comparing a potential single-dose regimen against current standard treatment.
‘The collaboration between a pharmaceutical company, a product-development partnership, and a network of clinical trial sites provides a highly effective way to evaluate promising compounds and take them all the way through to product licensing. By working together, we can accelerate the delivery of much-needed new treatments to patients and communities most affected by malaria.’
Cristina Donini, Executive Vice President, Research and Development, Medicines for Malaria Venture and WANECAM 3 spokesperson
Global Health EDCTP3 funding: €10.3 million, with an additional co-investment from Contributing Partners of €17.6 million, including Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).
CUREMAL: A new drug class to replace artemisinins
The CUREMAL project will test a promising new antimalarial compound, GSK3772701, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, that targets Plasmodium falciparum through a mechanism distinct from artemisinin-based therapies and remains effective against parasites showing partial artemisinin resistance.
‘Partial resistance to artemisinin compounds is being seen across sub-Saharan Africa. Unless we develop alternative treatments, we risk a situation where malaria becomes very hard to treat.’
Laura M. Sanz, CUREMAL spokesperson
The project will run sequential phase II clinical trials in Gabon, Uganda and Tanzania, first evaluating safety and dosing in adults and then testing efficacy in combination with pyronaridine across children, adolescents and adults. Alongside the trials, researchers will analyse parasite genetics in cases where infections persist, helping to detect any emerging resistance signals early.
Global Health EDCTP3 funding: €8.4 million, with an additional co-investment from Contributing Partners of €14 million from GSK 3 Cantos and €123,623 from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).
RAMP: Repurposing an antiviral to treat malaria and block transmission
The RAMP project will repurpose ravidasvir, a hepatitis C drug developed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Pharco Pharmaceuticals and already approved in Malaysia, as a potential new tool against malaria. Screening studies have shown that it not only acts on malaria parasites but also alters infected red blood cells in a way that helps the spleen clear them from the body. Importantly, it also shows transmission-blocking activity, targeting the parasite stage taken up by mosquitoes and potentially reducing onward spread of the disease.
‘Ravidasvir has the potential to be repurposed for use as an antimalarial. This would accelerate approval pathways, meaning it could be available for deployment relatively quickly.’
Dr. Joste Valentin, INSERM, RAMP spokesperson
RAMP will test ravidasvir in combination with the standard antimalarial therapy, dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine, across a series of clinical trials in Gabon, Mali, Ghana, and Uganda. These studies will assess its ability to clear infections, measure its transmission-blocking effect, and compare it directly with existing treatments. If successful, the approach could accelerate the deployment thanks to ravidasvir’s existing safety profile and regulatory history.
Global Health EDCTP3 funding: €10.3 million, with an additional co-investment of €3.6 million from Contributing Partners such as the Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), MSF Epicentre Mbarara Research Centre, MSF Epicentre Paris Research Centre and Pharco Pharmaceuticals, as well as from public entities of EDCTP Association member countries including the Ghana Health Service and Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR)
FACT: Triple therapy for severe malaria and bacterial co-infections
Severe malaria accounts for around three quarters of all malaria deaths, yet it is frequently misdiagnosed. About one in three children treated for the condition are suffering from an undetected bloodstream bacterial infection. Current WHO guidance recommends treating suspected severe malaria with both antimalarials and antibiotics, but in practice many children receive only one of these, leaving a critical gap in care.
‘A triple therapy that addresses both severe malaria and bacterial co-infections in one treatment course could simplify clinical decision-making significantly. Instead of clinicians trying to distinguish between conditions that can look almost identical, the treatment works across the most likely diagnoses at once. That is good medicine, and it is also good resistance stewardship.’
Sanjeev Krishna, Professor of Molecular Parasitology and Medicine at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and FACT spokesperson
The FACT project will test a novel triple therapy that combines artesunate with fosmidomycin and clindamycin, targeting both malaria parasites and the most common bacterial co-infections in a single treatment course. By addressing both conditions simultaneously and shortening treatment from six to four days, the approach aims to simplify clinical decision-making and improve outcomes for children with severe disease. A multi-country phase III trial across Africa will compare the combination directly with current standard care.
Global Health EDCTP3 funding: €10.1 million, with an additional co-investment of €2.2 million from Contributing Partners, including Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin and University of Hamburg, and from Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, a public entity of an EDCTP Association member country.
- Publication date
- 27 August 2026
- Author
- Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking