Anacor Pharma Receives $17.7M Investment from Gates Foundation

Anacor Pharmaceuticals

today announced that it has signed a research agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the Gates Foundation) to discover drug candidates intended to treat two filarial worm diseases (onchocerciasis, or river blindness, and lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis) and tuberculosis (TB). Additionally, Anacor will create an expanded library of boron compounds to screen for additional potential drug candidates to treat neglected diseases and will provide access to the expanded library compounds for neglected disease research to the Gates Foundation, and others, including academic, governmental and other non-profit institutions or equivalent entities. Under the agreement, Gates Foundation will pay Anacor $17.7 million as well as invest $5 million in Anacor common stock.