Italy to Be First Beneficiary of EU Malaria Fund: Siena-Based Achilles Vaccines srl to Receive Financing to Fight Malaria and COVID-19
19.6.2020 10:37:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
The EU Malaria Fund (EUMF) yesterday presented its first investment into Achilles Vaccines srl at the premises of Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena in Italy. The investment supports development of a novel Malaria vaccine on its versatile technology platform transforming bacteria, natural carriers of molecules harmful to human health, into an efficient delivery system of bio antigenic molecules to produce low-cost, safe and self-adjuvanting fit-for-purpose vaccines. The EUMF funding, with support from Fondazione TLS, will also be used to advance Achilles’ project to develop a novel human monoclonal antibody against COVID-19.
The first recipient of EUMF funding, Achilles, is a Siena-based biotech company specialising in research on malaria, antimicrobial resistance and, lately, COVID-19. “Achilles Vaccines is proud to contribute to the search for vaccines to eliminate malaria, a disease that faded into the background in these dramatic months, but which still claims significantly more victims than COVID-19 does, especially among children. Thanks to the guidance of Dr Rappuoli, we escape the challenge of finding a therapeutic and prophylactic drug with our monoclonal antibody, that finally makes the pandemic in which we find ourselves manageable”, said Riccardo Baccheschi, President and CEO of Achilles.
Holm Keller, Managing Director of EUMF and Chairman of kENUP Foundation said: “The EU Malaria Fund has high hopes, that the investment at the heart of the Siena vaccine hub in Italy will help to accelerate the eradication of Malaria. I am delighted that in these trying times, innovative Italian companies, like Achilles, will play a role in developing solutions against COVID-19".
The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are investing €111 million into the fund. “Vaccines are important for disease prevention,” said Ambroise Fayolle, EIB Vice President in charge of innovation. “But often they also generate lower revenues than drugs and other health care services and are thus less attractive for private investors. This is why initiatives like the EU Malaria Fund are so important. We are glad to see the first investment of this Fund materialise so quickly and hope that it will allow AchilleS to progress in this important field of research.”
“We are very proud to be the first Italian foundation to invest in the EU Malaria Fund. With a 1 million euros amount, the Fondazione MPS is pursuing two main goals in a long-term vision: supporting scientific research for those diseases that have a big impact on public health and attracting financial resources with long-term benefits for the province of Siena. – said Carlo Rossi, Chairman of Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena, “We also appreciate that the EU Malaria Fund will support the COVID-19 research, as it represents, at the moment, the most important worldwide sanitary challenge that requires huge common efforts”.
The EIB and WHO support the development of the EU Malaria Fund. “Together with WHO’s technical expertise we are confident of accelerating the development of new and innovative tools. The first investment of the EU Malaria Fund in Achilles will meaningfully advance the renewed efforts in our fight against Malaria” said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the World Health Organisation’s Global Malaria Programme.
The EUMF is a public-private partnership between the European Union, international organisations, corporations, and organized civic society, providing a novel funding instrument to address market failures in infectious diseases with significant relevance to public health globally. Further information can be found at www.controlMalaria.eu.
The video of the event can be found at https://www.controlmalaria.eu/news
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200619005083/en/
Contact information
Achilles Vaccines:
Eleonora Cossa
e.cossa@vrelations.it
+ 39 347.7467250
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
TOURISE and Oxford Economics Release New Global Report on Tourism Resilience in an Era of Permanent Disruption17.8.2026 17:33:00 EEST | Press release
TOURISE, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, today released a new report, “Resilience in a World that Doesn’t Reset: Redesigning Tourism for an Era of Permanent Disruption.” The analysis of 85 major crises over two decades shows a clear pattern: in a world defined by continuous shocks, destinations that act before disruption hits recover up to 1.5 times faster than those that wait. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260817880835/en/ “In a world that does not reset between crises, disruption is a constant feature of the global tourism landscape,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of TOURISE. “The real test for destinations measures how they prepare for volatility, protect traveler confidence, and maintain continuity ahead of such events.” Using the current Middle East crisis as a lens, where Gulf hubs carry roughly 14 percent of global transit traffic, the r
The Expensify Visa® Commercial Card Brings New Proactive Spend Controls to 14 Countries17.8.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Expensify, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXFY), the easiest way to manage expenses, travel, and corporate cards, today expanded the reach of Expensify Card spend rules, the market-leading way for businesses to control corporate card spend before it happens. Available to businesses in 14 countries, spend rules let admins decide exactly how, where, and when each Expensify Card can be used, so only compliant transactions go through. Unlike traditional corporate cards that rely on after-the-fact expense review, the Expensify Card enforces policy at the point of purchase. Admins set the rules once, and the card handles the rest. With Expensify Card spend rules, admins can: Lock a card to a subscription. Give each recurring SaaS tool its own virtual card, so a vendor can only ever charge what it should. If the card owner changes teams or leaves, the subscription keeps running, with no swapping cards and no missed payments. Cover a one-time purchase. Issue a virtual card for a single transaction like event r
Riskified Analysis Finds Travel Fraudsters Are Adapting Faster Than Traditional Signals Can Keep Up, With May Flight Risk Up 32%17.8.2026 15:30:00 EEST | Press release
Riskified (NYSE: RSKD), a global leader in ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence, today released new findings from its Travel Industry Insights report, revealing how sophisticated fraud rings and AI-enabled fraudsters are evolving their tactics across airlines, hotels, and online travel platforms. Riskified’s analysis shows that fraudsters are increasingly adapting their behavior to resemble legitimate travelers, making traditional fraud indicators less reliable and creating new challenges for travel merchants. Riskified’s analysis of hundreds of millions of travel transactions across flights, hotels, and land transportation found that flight fraud risk increased through the first five months of 2026, with May 2026 marking the sharpest year-over-year increase at 32% compared to May 2025. The findings show that sophisticated fraud activity is not limited to predictable travel peaks, with organized fraud rings continuously adjusting their methods throughout the year. Riskified's travel n
PIF Delivers Strong Revenue and Profit Growth in 202517.8.2026 14:54:00 EEST | Press release
PIF today published its 2025 Annual Report demonstrating strong financial performance and continued progress against its long-term objectives. As a long-term investor with a unique mandate to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia and deliver sustainable financial returns, PIF maintained a diversified portfolio in 2025, balancing returns with national impact and long-term resilience. Maintaining Financial Discipline In 2025, revenue rose 9% year on year to $120 billion, while net profit more than doubled to $17 billion, supported by stronger contributions from maturing portfolio companies. PIF retained over $900 billion in assets under management and achieved an annualized total shareholder return of 5.8% since 2017. Total shareholder return in 2025 was positively driven by increased dividends from portfolio companies and returns from financial investments. It was also impacted by downward movements in the valuations of some assets, as a result of wider market conditions, an
Foundever Successfully Closes a Holistic Recapitalization, Reducing its Debt by Nearly $900 Million and Strengthening its Financial Position for Long-Term Growth17.8.2026 14:30:00 EEST | Press release
Foundever Group S.A.® (“Foundever” or the “Company”) – a global leader in integrated customer experience, digital operations and analytics services, today announced that it has successfully closed a holistic recapitalization (the “Transaction”) in coordination with 95.4% of the lenders under its term loan facility (“Term Loan Lenders”), 100% of its revolving credit facility lenders (“RCF Lenders”), and the Company’s existing majority shareholders. The Transaction meaningfully strengthens Foundever’s financial foundation and positions the Company to invest in its growth strategy. Key terms of the Transaction include: Company's existing majority shareholders invest $225 million into common equity. Term loan facility exchange reduces the Company's total debt by nearly $900 million. Revolving credit facility maturity date is extended by more than four years to December 2030, and term loan maturity date is extended by more than 2.5 years to March 2031. Certain of the Company's RCF Lenders p
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom