What Medicines for Malaria Venture does

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is a Geneva-headquartered non-profit Product Development Partnership founded in 1999 to address the market failure in malaria drug development. The organization coordinates a network of more than 400 pharmaceutical and academic partners — including Novartis, GSK, Shin Poong Pharma, Calibr-Skaggs, Quotient Sciences, GHIT Fund, and African research institutions such as IRSS Burkina Faso, Strathmore University, and Noguchi Memorial Institute — to discover, develop, and deliver antimalarial medicines for populations in malaria-endemic countries. Since inception MMV has developed 19 antimalarial medicines that have collectively reached 1.48 billion people, with an estimated $13 in health benefits per $1 invested.

The core product portfolio spans established treatments (Coartem Dispersible, Coartem Baby, Pyramax, Eurartesim, tafenoquine), clinical and preclinical pipeline assets (MMV371 long-acting injectable in Phase 1, MMV055/167, CMQ069, ganaplacide-lumefantrine), open-science compound collections (Malaria Box, Pathogen Box, Pandemic Response Box), and AI drug discovery platforms (dd4gh and MAIP, the latter trained on 6.5 million malaria bioactivity values). Distribution occurs through WHO prequalification-enabled UN agency procurement (UNICEF, Global Fund) and national malaria control programs in endemic countries, with pharmaceutical partners handling manufacturing on a largely not-for-profit basis.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Income consists of donations and multi-year grants from governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the GHIT Fund, Unitaid, and institutional donors. Treatments are made available at minimal cost through donor-funded public-sector procurement, so MMV bears R&D and access-facilitation risk while commercial partners handle manufacturing and supply. The June 2026 strategic cooperation agreement with DNDi and GARDP, combined with WHO prequalifications secured across 2024-2026, indicates a deliberate push to scale impact through pooled PDP infrastructure in an environment of contracting global aid.

Name

Medicines for Malaria Venture

Legal name

Medicines for Malaria Venture

Website

https://mmv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is a Geneva-based non-profit Product Development Partnership that discovers, develops, and delivers antimalarial medicines through a global network of 400+ pharmaceutical and academic partners, serving children, pregnant women, and populations in malaria-endemic countries via WHO-prequalified, not-for-profit public-sector distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Antimalarial Drug Development

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disease-Specific Global Initiatives (HIV/TB/Malaria/NTDs) (HLAJAOAE), Communicable Disease Prevention & Control (HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, NTDs) (BPADAIAA)

Keywords

• Antimalarial drug development
• Malaria treatment research
• Pharmaceutical R&D partnerships
• Neglected tropical diseases
• Public health medicines

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulaanbaatar

HQ country

Mongolia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and donations: MMV is a non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP) funded through grants and donations from governments, foundations, and institutional donors. The organization does not generate commercial revenue but operates on a not-for-profit basis.
2. Not-for-profit product access: MMV works with pharmaceutical partners to make treatments available on a largely not-for-profit basis in malaria-endemic regions. Products like Coartem Baby are supplied at minimal cost through UN agency procurement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is a non-profit Product Development Partnership that discovers, develops, and delivers new antimalarial medicines through collaborations with pharmaceutical companies (Novartis, GSK, Shin Poong Pharma), academic institutions, and research organizations. The organization has delivered 19 antimalarial medicines reaching 1.48 billion people, and operates on a largely not-for-profit basis through UN agency and donor-funded public sector procurement in malaria-endemic countries.

Product overview

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) operates as a product development partnership (PDP) focused on developing antimalarial medicines to save lives. MMV has delivered 19 medicines and reached 1.48 billion people with treatments. The portfolio includes: established antimalarial treatments (Coartem Baby, Coartem Dispersible, Pyramax, Eurartesim, tafenoquine); compounds in development (MMV371 long-acting injectable, MMV055/167, CMQ069, ganaplacide-lumefantrine); open science resources (Malaria Box, Pathogen Box, Pandemic Response Box); and AI drug discovery platforms (dd4gh, MAIP). Core products are delivered through pharmaceutical partnerships including Novartis, GSK, and Shin Poong Pharma. Every $1 invested in MMV-supported medicines delivers an estimated $13 in health benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coartem Baby (artemether-lumefantrine) First and only antimalarial treatment specifically developed for newborns and young infants weighing 2-5kg. Developed with Novartis. Available on largely not-for-profit basis for public sector use in malaria-endemic regions.
• Coartem Dispersible (artemether-lumefantrine) First child-friendly, cherry-flavoured artemisinin-based combination therapy for children. Reached 500 million treatments delivered, saving over 1.8 million lives. Developed with Novartis.
• Pyramax (pyronaridine-artesunate) Artemisinin-based combination therapy for uncomplicated malaria, developed with Shin Poong Pharma and WHO-TDR.
• Eurartesim (dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine) Antimalarial approved in more than 50 countries for treating uncomplicated malaria.
• Tafenoquine Single-dose treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria relapse prevention. WHO prequalified December 2024. Co-developed with GSK.
• MMV371 Long-acting injectable antimalarial derived from atovaquone for malaria prevention. Entered Phase 1 clinical trials in September 2024. Could provide up to 3 months protection with single intramuscular dose.
• MMV055/167 Preclinical long-acting injectable candidate. Pro-drug of MMV055 inhibits parasite cytochrome bc1 (Qi site) with no cross-resistance to atovaquone. Potential partner for MMV371 in fixed-dose combination.
• CMQ069 Novel compound with potency on multiple stages of malaria parasite lifecycle. Potential for single oral dose cure, chemoprevention, and countering drug resistance. Developed by Calibr-Skaggs at Scripps Research.
• Ganaplacide-lumefantrine Novel therapy in development to combat drug-resistant malaria.
• Malaria Box Open-access collection of 400 diverse antimalarial compounds made available free to researchers to accelerate drug discovery.
• Pathogen Box Open-access collection of 400 diverse drug-like molecules active against neglected tropical diseases. Available free to researchers.
• Pandemic Response Box Open-access collection of 400 diverse drug-like molecules active against bacteria, viruses, or fungi for pandemic preparedness research.
• Drug Design for Global Health (dd4gh) Free, AI-powered drug discovery platform using predictive and generative AI to help researchers identify and select promising compounds for malaria and tuberculosis. Developed with deepmirror.
• Malaria Inhibitor Prediction Platform (MAIP) Machine-learning-based platform using consensus model derived from 6.5 million malaria bioactivity values to predict compound antimalarial activity. Free access on ChEMBL.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.48 billion people treated or protected with MMV-supported medicines
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NovartiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for development of Coartem family treatments including Coartem Dispersible (child-friendly formulation) and Coartem Baby (first treatment for infants 2-5 kg). Novartis manufactures and supplies treatments on a largely not-for-profit basis.
• GSKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for tafenoquine (single-dose relapse prevention for P. vivax malaria), co-administered with chloroquine. GSK co-developed the drug with MMV for WHO prequalification.
• PATHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint lead of the Partnership for Vivax Elimination (PAVE) with MMV, a 5+ year multi-country project supported by Unitaid and Gates Foundation. PATH developed the STANDARD G6PD Test.
• deepmirrorcoreTechnology or IntegrationAI technology partner for development of dd4gh (Drug Design for Global Health), a free AI-powered drug discovery platform for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases research.
• Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic cooperation agreement signed in June 2026 to explore pooling of expertise and resources. Plans to launch joint regulatory science platform to shorten registration timelines and strengthen regulatory strategies.
• GARDP FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree non-profit PDPs signed strategic cooperation agreement in June 2026 to accelerate drug development for patients in greatest need, maximizing impact amid global aid cuts.
• Calibr-Skaggs at Scripps ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership that discovered CMQ069 (Project of the Year 2023) with potential for single-dose cure and prevention. Also delivered MMV371, the most advanced long-acting injectable antimalarial.
• Quotient SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract research organization conducting first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial for MMV371 long-acting injectable malaria prevention compound in Nottingham, UK.
• ShionogisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through SHINE project for long-acting injectable drug development, contributing to MMV's LAI portfolio expansion.
• Mitsubishi TanabesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for long-acting injectable drug development contributing to MMV's pipeline of LAI prevention candidates.
• Strathmore University (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical advisor and coordinator for ALARM (African Leadership for ACT Resistance Mitigation) partnership, providing technical advice for Multiple First-Line Treatment pilots in Ghana, Cameroon, and Tanzania.
• Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Burkina FasocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leader of ALARM partnership with MMV and Strathmore University, conducting first MFT pilot studies in Africa (2019-2022).
• Tanabe PharmasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in GHIT-funded project for preclinical development of antimalarial drug MMV172 for treatment, chemoprevention, and SERCAP.
• University of GeorgiasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in GHIT-funded MMV172 preclinical development project for antimalarial drug development.
• EisaisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in multiple GHIT-funded antimalarial drug discovery projects and fosravuconazole clinical trials for eumycetoma.
• Swiss Data Science CentersupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership supported by Gates Foundation to explore machine learning methods on clinical data to understand how individual characteristics affect drug pharmacokinetics.
• GHIT FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Japan Symposium on Malaria Research and Development alongside Gates Foundation and MMV, bringing together Japanese researchers, African academics, pharmaceutical companies, and government officials.
• Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMMV joined iiCON as a core partner to enhance drug discovery and development efforts through the consortium's platforms.
• GAP-f (Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on paediatric drug optimization exercises for malaria, participating in webinar series on shaping better medicines for children.
• Noguchi Memorial Institute (Ghana)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to accelerate antimalarial drug discovery, strengthening research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
• SD BiosensorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the STANDARD G6PD Test which received WHO prequalification in December 2024 as part of the PAVE partnership for P. vivax elimination.
• Fosun PharmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped high-quality paediatric formulations of primaquine for P. vivax radical cure, achieving WHO prequalification in November 2025 through PAVE partnership.
• The University of Texas SystemsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatent collaboration for new DHODH inhibitors for malaria targeting Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.
• Eyam HealthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to advance game-changing, cost-effective nanobody treatments to prevent malaria, working toward a $1 malaria prevention shot.
• LPixelsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership using AI-powered image analysis to accelerate malaria drug discovery through automated compound screening.
• RBM Partnership to End MalariacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of World Malaria Day discussions with MMV addressing critical malaria funding crisis and artemisinin resistance spreading across Africa.
• WHOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO prequalification enables procurement of MMV-supported treatments by UN agencies. WHO approved Coartem Baby and tafenoquine for use in malaria-endemic countries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PATH: PATH is a global health organization that co-leads the Partnership for Vivax Elimination (PAVE) with MMV. As a development partner on PAVE and broader malaria-related initiatives, PATH shares MMV's mission, donor ecosystem, and product development focus on malaria and related NTDs.
• GHIT Fund: GHIT Fund is a Japanese public-private partnership funding global health R&D including malaria drug discovery. As a major MMV funder (JPY 1.37B investment) and co-host of the Japan Symposium on Malaria R&D, GHIT is a directly comparable PDP-style financing and convening peer.
• GARDP Foundation: GARDP is a non-profit PDP developing treatments for drug-resistant infections. As the third signatory of the June 2026 MMV-DNDi-GARDP cooperation agreement, GARDP shares the PDP operating model, donor base, and access-focused mission, making it a directly comparable peer.
• International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI): IAVI is a non-profit PDP focused on HIV vaccine and antibody R&D. It operates a comparable public-private partnership structure with similar funding sources (governments, Gates Foundation) and a mission aligned with MMV's neglected-disease drug development focus.
• Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND): FIND is a global non-profit driving development and delivery of diagnostic tests for poverty-related diseases. As part of the same PDP ecosystem with shared donors and complementary product categories (MMV medicines + FIND diagnostics, e.g., the G6PD test), FIND is a closely comparable peer organization.
• TB Alliance: TB Alliance is a PDP dedicated to developing and delivering improved tuberculosis treatments. It shares MMV's product development partnership model, donor dependencies, and focus on neglected infectious disease drug development for low- and middle-income countries.
• Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi): DNDi is a fellow Product Development Partnership focused on developing treatments for neglected diseases. MMV and DNDi signed a strategic cooperation agreement in June 2026 to pool regulatory resources, making DNDi the closest structural and operational peer to MMV in the PDP ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Unitaid: Unitaid is a global health financing mechanism that funds MMV's PAVE project and broader malaria initiatives. While not a product developer itself, Unitaid operates as a peer funder within the same global health innovation ecosystem and shapes MMV's portfolio priorities.
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: The Global Fund is the largest multilateral financing mechanism for malaria control, and its procurement budgets underpin demand for MMV-supported antimalarial medicines. It is a critical ecosystem partner and a comparable peer in scale, mission, and donor dependencies within global health.

Emerging players

• Medicines Development for Global Health: MDGH is an emerging non-profit pharmaceutical company focused on developing and delivering medicines for neglected diseases. It operates a similar impact-driven model to MMV, although with a smaller portfolio and narrower therapeutic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MedsforMalaria
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MMVMeds4Malaria
• Facebookfacebook.com/medicinesformalaria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medicinesformalariaventure
• Instagraminstagram.com/medicines_for_malaria_venture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Medicines for Malaria Venture