02 Mar OneWorld Health – Major Breakthrough in the Fight against Cholera and Other Diarrheas
Business Wire
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH) announced a major milestone in the fight against cholera. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted iOWH permission to begin phase 1 trials for iOWH032, a drug to treat secretory diarrhea. This is the first submission of an Investigational New Drug application for a completely new chemical entity by a non-profit of this size to receive such rapid FDA clearance, and it could be the first synthetic drug of its kind for diarrheal diseases.
“As vital as ORT has been to saving lives, we need to do more to get at the ways diseases, such as cholera, kill. We hope to start phase 1 human trials by April 2011.”
The standard treatment for cholera and other infectious diarrheas characterized by massive loss of fluid is oral rehydration therapy (ORT) to manage life-threatening dehydration. While ORT is highly effective at saving lives, it does nothing to stem the fluid loss, and it must be continued for the duration of the illness. As a result, many do not complete the therapy before the disease has been eliminated and are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. This new drug, whose development was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reduces fluid loss and is designed to be used in conjunction with ORT. This treatment would provide faster relief of diarrhea symptoms and encourage wider adoption of ORT resulting in reduction of mortality rate and improvement of quality of life.