IMI invests €115m in new vaccines and medicines of the future

The Innovative Medicines Initiative has announced that it will collaborate with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its latest calls under Horizon 2020.

In its 3rd call, IMI has revealed it will work with the Foundation on a project to improve vaccines against whooping cough. Caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium, vaccines against the disease do exist, but a resurgence in the number of cases in certain countries is cause for concern. The project will make it possible to refine current vaccination schedules to make them more effective and facilitate the development of new and improved vaccine formulations.

Commenting on the calls, Irene Norstedt, IMI’s acting executive director, said: “The Innovative Medicines Initiative is committed to speeding up both medicines development and patient access to new medicines, especially in areas where treatments are lacking. These new calls for proposals are fully in line with those goals, and I am confident that the resulting projects will contribute to making a real difference to patients’ lives.”

Other projects announced as part of the 3rd call include research into Type 2 diabetes, developing a better understanding of neuropsychiatry, improving vaccine manufacture, and how to encourage greater patient involvement in research. The 4th call funds the creation of a new platform to help speed up patient access to new medicines.

The total budget for the two calls is €115m. Half of this will come from the European Commission through Horizon 2020, whilst remaining funds will be contributed by EFPIA companies involved in the project as well as other associated partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.