Every $1 invested in the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) between 2000 and 2023 yielded $13 in monetised health benefits, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health this week.

MMV is a not-for-profit product development partnership (PDP) that works with public and private sector partners to discover, develop and deliver accessible and affordable medicines to treat, prevent and eliminate malaria. 

Since its launch in 1999, it has brought 19 malaria medicines to the market that have treated or protected more than 1.3 billion people worldwide. 

The total investment received by MMV was $2.3 billion over the 23-year study period, and the antimalarial drugs developed and launched with the support of MMV averted an estimated 1.6 million deaths and 87 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). The cost of delivery is estimated to be $785 million. 

“This analysis demonstrates that funds invested in MMV are working extraordinarily hard,” said Dr Lesong Conteh, from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the study’s corresponding author.

“Every dollar produces outsized and sustained benefits for malaria-affected regions. In a constrained funding environment, identifying investments that consistently deliver is critical.” This evidence also underscores the vital role that investing in the PDP model plays in generating global health returns beyond any single organisation. “

The study was conducted by experts from the LSE and Imperial College London, in collaboration with Cambridge Economic Policy Associates. 

Malaria kills almost 600,000 people annually (2023 figures), 95% in Africa. Among the most affected are newborns and pregnant women.

A new Novartis anti-malarial drug designed for newborns and babies under 5kg, which was developed with MMV, was launched late last year in Ghana. 

Meanwhile, new treatments for pregnant women have just entered Phase 3 trials.

However, progress against the parasite is stalling, in part because a lack of resources and the parasite’s ability to mutate to develop resistance to antimalarial drugs. 

Growing resistance to artemisinin, the standard drug of care, is a huge challenge that highlights the need for new products.

The WHO forecasts an additional 78 million cases of malaria over the next five years in the absence of new treatments, which could result in 80,000 more deaths each year.

Climate-driven extreme weather events and conflict are also increasing the risk of malaria.

Image Credits: Peter Mgongo.