Need
Cryptosporidiosis in newborn calves is one of the largest health problems in the cattle industry. About 30% of all calves experience cryptosporidiosis during the first six weeks of life. The infection results in 10-15% reduced slaughter weights and 3-4 months delayed milk production, thus making up for significant losses and reduced profit for farmers.
Halofuginone (Halocur™) is the only licensed treatment available for calves born in contaminated herds in a number of countries in Europe. However, to reach some level of efficacy, preventive administration is necessary, and its use is recommended for daily administration in the first 7 days of life to all neonatal animals in the herd, which complicates management for farmers.
In addition, toxicity has already been observed at twice the recommended dose, resulting in a low index of selectivity and therefore imposing administration with utmost care. Halocur™ only partially reduces the symptoms and is unable to control already established infections.
Therefore, an alternative treatment that can both prevent infection and treat already established infection is in strong demand from stakeholders and end-users in the animal industry.
Approach
We have developed a new class of orally highly active anti-cryptosporidium agents whose effectiveness exceeds by far the existing treatment and that we assume targets a non-redundant metabolic pathway in the parasite. We have reached proof-of-concept in a large ruminant model (neonatal lamb). The treatment is highly efficient and shows an excellent safety index, with no signs of side effects.
Our treatment works in both curative and preventive mode, thus fulfilling the need defined by the animal industry. In addition, our therapy could be of use for treating human cryptosporidiosis, currently an unsolved problem, especially in development countries.
Benefits
Our solution offers the following benefits:
• First and best-in-class anti-cryptosporidium molecules
• Controls cryptosporidium infection in ruminants in both preventive and curative mode
• Relatively cheap API with excellent profit potential
• Potentially effective for the human cryptosporidiosis indication
• Works on both Cryptosporidium parvum (man, cattle, zoonotic) and Cryptosporidium hominis (man)
Competition
In many countries, like Sweden, cryptosporidiosis in cattle is not treated at all, only supportive treatment is given, together with labor-intense sanitization of the farm environment. This is largely due to poor efficacy.
In terms of drugs on the market against cryptosporidiosis, there is only halofunginone (HalocurTM), with limited efficacy and low safety index. If Halocur treatment fails, paromomycin might be used, however, paromomycin cannot control established infection.
Our product would be the first efficient anti-cryptosporidium therapy on the animal health market.
