Watch the documentary Kill or Cure? Visceral Leishmaniasis on BBC World June 3, 2007
The story of the development of Paromomycin IM Injection will be told through a new Rockhopper TV and BBC World documentary, to air as part of the series Kill or Cure? on June 3.

BBC World traveled to Bihar, India, three years ago to film the earlier trials of the new medicine, and produced a documentary film Kill or Cure? kala azar. Now they have revisited the initiative on location in India to track progress, and offers the results through the film Kill or Cure? Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Kill or Cure? Visceral Leishmaniasis will be broadcast on BBC World beginning Sunday, June 3. Below are the tentative air dates and times for the following week. Please check the BBC World television listings to confirm when it will air in your time zone.

• Sunday, June 3 at 6:30am GMT and 5:30pm GMT
• Monday, June 4 at 10:30am GMT
• Tuesday, June 5 at 4:30pm GMT
• Wednesday, June 6 at 4:30pm GMT

BBC World programs may be viewed in more than 200 countries, but do not air in the UK. In the US BBC World can be viewed only on cable in New York (Cablevision and Real Networks) and Texas (Grande Communications).

Kill or Cure? Visceral Leishmaniasis will be available to watch via streaming video on the OneWorld Health website on June 4, 2007.

OneWorld Health’s First Approved Drug Added to WHO Essential Medicines List Paromomycin IM Injection Treatment for Deadly Kala-Azar Approved by Expert Committee
Paromomycin IM Injection was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for inclusion on its Model List for Essential Medicines. Paromomycin IM Injection is a cost-effective treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the world’s second most deadly parasitic disease after malaria. With approximately 500,000 new cases occurring annually worldwide, visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, primarily afflicts the rural poor in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sudan and Brazil. "The inclusion of OneWorld Health’s first approved drug product on the WHO Essential Medicines List recognizes the value of Paromomycin IM Injection to combat this lethal disease. This recognition is an important step in the realization of our drug development mission: Bringing the promise of safe, effective, and affordable medicines to those most in need,” said Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz, OneWorld Health’s Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer. Read the press release.

OneWorld Health Recognizes Artemisinin Development Collaborators On Malaria Awareness Day
The Institute for OneWorld Health marked Malaria Awareness Day on April 25, 2007 by recognizing its scientific collaborators, UC Berkeley and Professor Jay Keasling, and Amyris Biotechnologies, for the significant progress made utilizing synthetic biology to develop microbially derived artemisinin. Artemisinin is a costly plant extract used in artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for malaria. “We are working with Professor Keasling and Amyris Biotechnologies to prepare this technology for pilot-scale manufacturing,” said Nina Grove, OneWorld Health’s Senior Director for Commercialization Strategy & Planning and Malaria Program Director. “We look forward to the next phase of the project that will bring this important technology from a scientific idea to a humanitarian success. Read the press release.

[ More about the Artemisinin Project. ]

Odyssey Research Selected for Phase 4 Study in India
OneWorld Health selected Odyssey Research, a Bismarck, North Dakota-based clinical trial management organization (TMO) with offices in New Delhi, India, to support its upcoming Phase 4 pharmacovigilance and access study of Paromomycin Intramuscular (IM) Injection for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in India. Odyssey Research will perform regular monitoring of seven clinical sites in the study, scheduled to begin later this year in the state of Bihar, India. The first module will enroll 500 patients in a pharmacovigilance study to confirm the safety and efficacy of Paromomycin IM Injection in an outpatient setting. Over the next three years, up to an additional 1500 patients will be included in two subsequent access modules that will monitor the effectiveness of a progressively extending network of treatment facilities and related logistics systems throughout rural Bihar. The results of the Phase 4 study are intended to provide a model for administering Paromomycin IM Injection safely and effectively in an outpatient setting in remote areas where the disease is endemic. Read the press release.

iOWH Hires Donald R. Joseph as Chief Operating Officer
Don Joseph was hired as OneWorld Health’s Chief Operating Officer in April 2007. He served as Interim Senior Vice President, Operations for iOWH since January 2007 and brings more than twelve years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience to OneWorld Health, following fifteen years of practicing business law. “We are extremely pleased that Don has decided to join the organization full time after assisting in his interim role” said Dr. Victoria Hale, Founder and CEO. “His impressive range of knowledge, skills, and experience in biopharmaceutical operations will be a great help as we execute on our mission.” Read the press release.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review article on Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition in their Spring 2007 issue features Victoria Hale and OneWorld Health. Visit our website to read this and other articles about OneWorld Health.

The Institute for OneWorld Health depends on the generous support of individuals all over the world to fulfill our mission. Thank you for supporting our work and helping us to develop and provide access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines for people with neglected diseases in the developing world.

Please consider going to our website now and making a contribution, or calling us at 415.421.4700 for further information.

The Institute for One World Health is growing and searching for passionate and talented industry professionals to help us fulfill our mission of developing safe, effective, and affordable new medicines for people with diseases of poverty in the developing world.

For a current listing of open positions in our San Francisco office please visit the employment page on our website.

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