Japan has launched a new public-private partnership, dubbed the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT), that brings together several Japanese pharmaceutical companies, nonprofit organizations and academic institutions to find new treatments for AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases that disproportionately affect the world's poor. With an initial $100 million in funding over 5 years, the project will work to screen compound libraries at pharma companies and research institutions in search of new potential drugs. From the corporate side, Astellas Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Shionogi & Co., and Takeda Pharmaceutical will be involved, and nonprofits including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), the Medicines for Malaria Venture, and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative will be part of the conglomerate. Japan's Institute of Microbial Chemistry and Kitasato Institute will also join the consortium, focusing on finding treatments for tropical diseases. Release