Developing Regimens
The TB Alliance and its partners are leading the clinical development of a new generation of markedly improved TB cures. These drugs are the building blocks of novel TB regimens, which will speed the introduction and unleash the transformative impact of new, faster, and better TB drugs for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB.
The TB Alliance, working with partners around the world, is developing new, urgently needed TB treatments. There have been no new classes of TB drugs for nearly 50 years and the current treatment is inadequate to tackle today's TB pandemic. Long treatment times, complex dosing schedules, and growing rates of drug resistance help fuel the epidemic. Without better, faster-acting, and affordable drugs, TB cannot be adequately controlled and ultimately eradicated.
THERE HAVE
BEEN NO NEW
CLASSES OF
TB DRUGS
IN NEARLY 50
YEARS
Before the TB Alliance was established in 2000, there were no clinical-stage compounds in development to treat TB. Today, after a decade of advancing the science and working with donors, partners, and other stakeholders, the TB Alliance has developed and manages the largest TB drug pipeline in history. The TB Alliance has three TB compounds in clinical development in addition to its robust discovery program, comprising a large share of the world's TB R&D efforts. The organization is catalyzing the research landscape and testing these compounds in clinical trials, including a Phase III trial that may result in approval of the first new class of TB drugs in nearly 50 years and the first clinical trial to evaluate a novel multi-drug regimen.
Shorter, Faster Cures
The TB Alliance is currently evaluating whether a moxifloxacin-containing TB drug regimen can reduce the duration of treatment by 33% compared to the current standard in drug-sensitive TB treatment. This investigation is taking place in a global, Phase III clinical trial, known as REMox TB. Enrollment in REMox TB was completed in 2012. Click here for more information on next steps and to read partner testimonials.
New TB treatment candidates show promise to reduce the length of and simplify treatment for people with TB, improving outcomes, decreasing the spread of resistance, and lessening the impact on health systems. These compounds are also the building blocks of future novel regimens that have the potential to transform the fight against the epidemic by offering shorter, simpler, and safer treatments that can treat both drug-sensitive and multi-drug resistant TB. Since there is little existing resistance to novel regimens, new combinations of drugs can unify treatment for most TB cases around the world, and for drug-resistant patients, offer an infinitely cheaper treatment option, facilitating the global scale-up of MDR-TB treatment.
Overcoming Obstacles in TB Drug Development
Click on the following headings to find out how we are working to overcome challenges.
- New regulatory framework needed for regimen development
- Clinical trials for TB drugs take too long
- Lack of clinical trial capacity
- Lack of funding to conduct late-stage clinical trials
There have been no new TB drug classes developed under the modern regulatory system, and therefore, there are many challenges to overcome to enable the testing and evaluation of new TB cures.
Recognizing the global need, the TB Alliance has undertaken many initiatives to improve and advance the field of TB drug R&D. Working with partners around the world, the TB Alliance is overcoming scientific, operational, and regulatory barriers, and creating a pathway to patients so that new and better TB treatments.