May 16, 2012
Sumitomo Chemical and IVCC Work Jointly to Fight against
Insecticide Resistant Mosquitoes
Sumitomo Chemical and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) (*1) areworking closely together in developing a new insecticide-impregnated mosquito net toaddress the growing problem of insecticide resistant mosquitoes.
Every year, an estimated 200 million people worldwide are stricken by malaria, of which
650,000 people die from the disease. As malaria is transmitted to humans when bitten
by mosquitoes that have been infected with malaria parasites, the use of insecticidal
mosquito nets is recommended as an economical and effective preventive measure. The
effects of the bed nets have been already demonstrated as is known from the fact thatmalaria cases have been declining in number in those regions where mosquito nets arewidely used. On the other hand, an increasing number of findings are also reported incertain regions that mosquitoes are showing resistance to pyrethroid insecticides thatare used in the mosquito nets.
Over many years, Sumitomo Chemical has been supplying its Olyset® Net(*2), an
insecticidal mosquito net developed with the company's proprietary technology, tocountries in Africa and other areas that are suffering heavily from malaria. Olyset® Net
is the first net endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001 as along-lasting insecticidal net, and it has been contributing significantly to promoting theenhanced prevention of malaria. In 2011, Sumitomo Chemical took another step
forward by initiating a development project with the IVCC on a new long lasting bed net
in which a combination of specific active ingredients is impregnated so as to work
effectively against pyrethroid resistant mosquitoes. It is anticipated that this product,known as Olyset® Duo, will be commercially available within the next few years as avaluable new tool to overcome the growing challenges of insecticide resistance.
Going forward, Sumitomo Chemical and the IVCC will also be working jointly on thedevelopment of new insecticides that will be effective against malaria-transmitting
mosquitoes.
IVCC CEO Janet Hemingway said, “We are delighted to have Sumitomo as a partner,they are a major innovator in bed net technology with demonstrated long-term
commitment to this market.”Ray Nishimoto, Managing Executive Officer of Sumitomo Chemical, said, "Sumitomo
Chemical is proud of the benefits that our pioneering Olyset® Net is offering to theworld. Bed nets cannot stop malaria entirely, but it is evident that this simple, durable
tool has saved many, many lives over the last ten years. Looking to the decades ahead,
we will remain firmly committed to staying competitive and innovative in the global
vector control market as we provide effective tools toward realizing a malaria-freeworld.”
Sumitomo Chemical will continue to develop and market more effective measures toprevent malaria through a comprehensive approach that centers on Olyset® Net, andOlyset® Duo when it becomes available as well as new insecticides currently underdevelopment.
(*1) The IVCC is a Product Development Partnership (PDP) established as a not for
profit company and registered charity to overcome the barriers to innovation in thedevelopment of new insecticides for public health vector control and to develop
information systems and tools which will enable new and existing pesticides to be used
more effectively. For more information please go to www.ivcc.com(*2) The Olyset® Net is knitted with fibers made of polyethylene resin and has excellent
durability. A pyrethroid insecticide is mixed together with the fibers and its effect lasts
longer than conventional insecticidal mosquito nets, even after repeated washings.