OneWorld Health to become an affiliate of PATH

Contacts:
Amy MacIver, PATH, 206.302.4522
Marie Lennartsson, OneWorld Health, 650.392.2510.

Seattle, December 16, 2011—PATH and OneWorld Health (OWH) today announced that OWH will become an affiliate of PATH, bringing its drug development expertise and experience in neglected infectious diseases to bear on PATH’s mission of improving global health through innovation.

“PATH is excited to welcome OneWorld Health into our organizational family,” said Dr. Christopher J. Elias, president and CEO of PATH. “OneWorld Health has a successful track record in developing and delivering effective, affordable drugs to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Their work complements PATH’s broad portfolio of projects focused on delivering high-impact, low-cost solutions to global health problems.”

Dr. Richard Chin, CEO of OWH, stated, “We are delighted that two organizations that have a similar deep commitment to people in developing countries will join together. The complementary skills of PATH and OneWorld Health will lead to a fully integrated product development and delivery platform across both drugs and vaccines, improved economies of scale, and most importantly, superior ability to save lives.”

PATH and OWH share a commitment to advancing health technologies to reach those most in need and a focus on diseases that disproportionately impact the developing world, including malaria and diarrheal disease.

OWH, based in South San Francisco, was founded in 2000 and became the first nonprofit pharmaceutical company in the United States. The organization, which also has offices in New Delhi and Patna, India, currently works on drug development projects for diseases that include diarrheal disease, malaria, and visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease spread by sand flies.

PATH, based in Seattle since its inception in 1977, is a nonprofit global health organization that operates offices in 34 cities in 23 countries. PATH currently works in the areas of emerging and epidemic diseases, health technologies, maternal and child health, reproductive health, and vaccines and immunization.

The affiliation builds on PATH’s long history of health technology development while strengthening PATH’s presence in India. It offers new opportunities for PATH to pursue integrated strategies that support PATH’s longstanding commitment to reducing the toll of diarrheal disease, malaria, and other urgent global health problems.

By becoming a PATH affiliate, OneWorld Health will be able to scale and accelerate its successful drug development efforts, which include developing a semisynthetic version of artemisinin, a key component in treating malaria, to help provide an affordable, stable source of the drug, alleviate shortages, and meet global demand. OneWorld Health will remain a nonprofit organization operating out of its South San Francisco headquarters.

On finalization of the transaction, Dr. Chin will transition out of his role as CEO of OWH. He has agreed to serve as an advisor for a limited period of time.

Headquartered in South San Francisco, OneWorld Health is a nonprofit that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable new medicines for impoverished patients, especially children, suffering from neglected diseases in the developing world. More information can be found at www.oneworldhealth.org.