London: 18 April 2018 -Today, at the London Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the world’s leading Crop Protection companies announce their commitment to support the research, development and supply of innovative products to save lives and help eradicate malaria by 2040.

BASF, Bayer, Mitsui Chemicals, Sumitomo Chemical Company and Syngenta have been the major driving force behind the development of innovative vector control solutions, such as bednets and indoor spraying.  Since 2000, nearly 4 in every 5 malaria cases successfully averted through intervention have been due to long-lasting insecticide treated bednets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), saving millions of lives.

In coming together under the ‘ZERO by 40’ banner, these companies are, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Liverpool based IVCC (the Innovative Vector Control Consortium), reaffirming their commitment to use their expert knowledge and chemical resources to supply and develop innovative vector control solutions to help reduce the malaria burden, which today is increasingly being threatened by insecticide resistance.

In 2005 these companies opened up their chemical libraries to IVCC to support the search for new chemistry to help address the danger of insecticide resistance. As a result, a strong pipeline of innovative solutions is beginning to emerge.  Recent successes include:

•   In 2016 Actellic®300CS, a next generation IRS developed by Syngenta, was introduced into the NgenIRS programme, a 4-year $65.1 million UNITAID-funded market shaping initiative, now stretching across 14
African countries.

•   This was joined in 2017 by Sumitomo Chemical’s SumiShield^® 50WG, a brand-new mode of action chemistry for indoor residual spraying, to enable improved resistance management through rotation.

•   Bayer’s next generation IRS product combining two modes of action, Fludora^® Fusion, is currently undergoing final stage trials required for WHO prequalification and is expected to join the fight in preventing disease transmission for millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa.

•   In 2017, BASF received a WHO interim recommendation for Interceptor^® G2, a new generation mosquito net developed using a repurposed insecticide (chlorfenapyr) from agriculture to help combat resistant mosquitoes.

•   Mitsui Chemicals, which has a long history in the field of vector control, is developing unique mode of action insecticides across a wide range of product applications such as sprays and bednets.

Nick Hamon, CEO of IVCC said “Our industry collaboration, supported by our funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID), is starting to bear fruit and is saving lives today. But we still have a long way to go to achieve our ambition of ending the disease burden of malaria by 2040. This new initiative will not only secure the current supply of solutions, but will pave the way for desperately needed new forms of chemistry and new vector control tools to reduce the disease burden of malaria which still affects millions of people.”

Saori Dubourg, Member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE, said “Next Wednesday is World Malaria Day, but for half of our world, every day is a fight against this devastating disease. Malaria causes sickness and death, reduces productivity, fuels poverty and creates hunger, especially in impoverished, rural farming communities. ZERO by 40 will connect the smartest minds in public health and science, and I am truly optimistic that it will be a force for change. We can be the generation to end malaria.”

Dr. Jacqueline M. Applegate, Member of the Crop Science Executive Committee & President of Environmental Science of Bayer AG, said “The magnitude and global reach of the disease requires the engagement of all major stakeholders to work together if we are to achieve our bold and ambitious goal of ending the malaria burden within a generation. The declaration signed today with our industry partners confirms the willingness to mobilize our diverse know-how and resources. At Bayer, we are committed to using science and innovation to improve people’s lives and are very proud to be a signee of this declaration.”

Kazunori Tani, Executive adviser of Mitsui Chemicals Agro, Inc. said “Through our continued dedication to innovation in organic chemistry technology, Mitsui Chemicals has discovered novel insecticides that effectively control mosquitos resistant to existing chemicals. With our new technologies, we are proud to contribute to the eradication of Malaria, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.”

Ray Nishimoto, Representative Director & Senior Managing Executive Officer and President of
Health & Crop Sciences Sector, Sumitomo Chemical added “Sumitomo Chemical was founded with the precept that to succeed in the long run, business activities must benefit society. This core value is the basis of our long-standing commitment to continuously develop innovative vector control technologies that will help end malaria for good. On the occasion of the Malaria Summit London 2018, Sumitomo Chemical is proud to join in the Vector Control Malaria Declaration, alongside other leading crop protection companies, and to confirm that we will continue to innovate and invest to bring new vector control solutions to market until malaria is ultimately eradicated.”

Erik Fyrwald, Syngenta CEO said “The WHO reported that in 2016 445,000 people died from Malaria and around 216 million people were infected so we all have a responsibility to help fight this terrible disease.
We are here today to reinforce our commitment in the fight against Malaria and we will work closely to IVCC, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the companies of our industry to eradicate it.”

Commenting on the initiative, Trevor Mundel, President of Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said “Innovative vector control is essential to the success of malaria control and elimination efforts. It’s proven key to saving millions of lives over the past 15 years. That’s why we’re pleased that the companies that have played such an essential role in delivering innovation are extending their commitments to help end malaria for good. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is pleased to support IVCC and its private-sector partners in their efforts to accelerate the discovery and development of new insecticides for public health.”

Keeping people healthy and creating prosperous communities is not only ethically sound, but also makes good business sense, said Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the IVCC Board of Trustees, addressing nearly 500 company leaders and executives at the Third Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit.
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After half a working lifetime in the big business world of the Ag industry, Mathias Mondy, the latest addition to the tiny IVCC core team, tells why he’s excited at the prospects ahead.

I first heard of IVCC back at its very inception in 2005 when I worked for Bayer Environmental Science. I was in charge of the marketing of public health products for Europe and my colleagues from development were already singling IVCC out as one of the most exciting Product Development Partnerships.

Maintaining an innovation stream for vector control is not a simple issue for a large company like Bayer. When you think about it:

• this is a small market in comparison to corn, soy and wheat;
• it requires specific expertise to properly formulate active ingredients as bednets or indoor residual sprays;
• commercialisation of products fluctuates according to public tenders

Fortunately, more often than not, there are people in management who understand that the impact of vector control products go well beyond simply killing mosquitoes. They enable populations to access the tools they need to protect themselves against deadly and debilitating diseases such as malaria.

All in all, I spent 17 years in the Ag industry. The more experience I gained in development, marketing and stakeholder outreach the more I was fascinated by the actual impact of our products. My key driver was demonstrating their usefulness in sustaining agriculture—lowering its environmental footprint, increasing profitability for all stakeholders, and allowing societal development through securing food access.

By joining IVCC I am putting my expertise and my industry insight at the service of a great cause: eradicating malaria.

This is a very exciting time. I was blessed with the opportunity of attending the IVCC stakeholder forum in July where I witnessed the dedication of vector control people, the renewed support for IVCC’s work from the funding community, and the ongoing work of innovators.

My first responsibility at IVCC will be to create a framework to track the advancement of our partnerships and to report transparently to our funders. This is nothing less than fulfilling our moral duty to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to women, men and children from endemic countries and thereby saving lives.

IVCC has welcomed the WHO Pre-Qualification of Bayer’s Fludora™ Fusion, combining different modes of action, as another major step forward in malaria control and insecticide resistance management.

IVCC supported the development of this new indoor residual spray (IRS) product in field trials where the product was tested against various resistant mosquito strains and on different relevant surface types. The data generated demonstrated that Fludora™ Fusion provides robust and consistent results, matching the needs of malaria control programs across Africa.

Nick Hamon, CEO of IVCC said: “We were pleased to have been able to support part of the Fludora™ Fusion trial program and to see this milestone achieved. New vector control tools are desperately needed to combat resistance and this is another positive addition to the toolbox.”

IVCC’s David McGuire who, with other consortium partners PMI, Abt Associates and PATH, leads the $65.1m Unitaid funded NgenIRS initiative, added: “Fludora™ Fusion will be a powerful and timely addition to the range of new indoor residual spray products implementing partners can use across sub-Saharan Africa.Following the successful deployment of Syngenta’s Actellic® 300 CS and Sumitomo’s SumiShield® we now have greater choice of new generation IRS products that can support sub-national rotation of insecticides, a major weapon against the threat of insecticide resistance. The introduction of more products from different manufacturers has also created a competitive environment for third generation IRS that is driving down prices to affordable levels for malaria control programs and their donor partners.

Dr. Jacqueline M. Applegate, Head of the Environmental Science business unit at Bayer added: “We are very proud to have achieved WHO Pre-Qualification for Fludora™ Fusion; it reflects our long-term commitment towards supporting the elimination of vector-borne diseases. It is a clear example of our focus on applying science to advance life – malaria control programs will now have access to an additional safe, efficient and cost-effective solution to protect the millions at risk from the disease.”

For further information, please contact:

Chris Larkin
Head of Communications and External Relations
IVCC
Phone: +44 151 702 9371
Mobile: +44 7712 402498
Email: christopher.larkin@IVCC.com(link sends e-mail)

About IVCC

IVCC is the only product development partnership (PDP) working in vector control. Established in 2005, IVCC works with stakeholders to facilitate the development of novel and improved public health insecticides and formulations and provides information tools to enable their effective use. IVCC’s vision is simply to save lives, protect health and increase prosperity by preventing insect-borne diseases. IVCC is funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UKaid, USAID, Unitaid, the Global Fund, the Australian Government and The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen.

Let’s start at the end. If we could just keep mosquitoes from transmitting the parasites, we could stop the scourge of malaria. Mathematical modeling by Imperial College indicates that by the year 2040 we could save over 27 million lives in Africa, reduce malaria in children by 93%, prevent the loss of 3.8 billion farmer work days, and increase agricultural productivity by $295 billion. We should all be asking how we could possibly achieve this monumental improvement on the continent that most needs it. The answer could lie in the development and distribution of just three items: a sugar bait that kills mosquitoes, bed nets with combinations of insecticides that overcome resistance, and indoor wall sprays that only need to be applied once per year.

ZERO by 40 is an agreement among leading agricultural chemical companies currently involved in vector control in Africa to apply their skills and resources to the development of those three tools. None of them are pie-in-the-sky wish fulfillment – they can be ready in the next five years:

The sugar bait, called an Attractive Targeted Sugar Bait (ATSB), met and exceeded its expectations in African trials after nearly ten years of patient work by Westham Company. This tool kills mosquitoes in a completely new way, complementing traditional methods to achieve a very high level of control. The work ahead is detailed and sometimes frustrating, but at the end of the day, it is a matter of dotting I’s and crossing T’s.

The first combination nets (long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, or LLINs) are being distributed this year. Though these nets use the insecticide for which many mosquitoes have resistance, they overcome the resistance by adding one of several additional chemicals. Patient effort during 11 years by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) and its industrial partners is also producing completely new candidate insecticides that will only be used in Africa for public health, keeping those new compounds from suffering the fate of insecticide resistance.

Indoor wall sprays (indoor residual spray or IRS and an extra-long-lasting spray or XLLIRS) will also use some of the new chemicals. Through a combination of formulation and chemistry, production of products that last at least 12 months will revolutionize IRS. Smaller, professional spray crews will be able to work their way through a community on a continuous basis, escaping the inefficiency of seasonal programs timed to treat homes before the transmission season.

During the last year, the Gates Foundation, IVCC, Mitsui Chemical Company, Sumitomo Chemical Company, ChemChina/Syngenta, BASF, and Bayer Corporation have worked together from the very top of their organizations to the technical people who make things happen. This collaboration is based on commitment to public-health mosquito control and a willingness to cooperate with each other.  Supported by two meetings with Bill Gates, this community is developing a feasible plan to reach an audacious goal – elimination of malaria from Africa by 2040.