Overcoming the TB pandemic requires new and dramatically improved therapy that will be effective against all forms of TB and can be given to all TB patients
The Universal Regimen
Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s leading global health threats. Today’s treatments cannot most effectively combat the pandemic because they are too long, complex, and unable to sufficiently address the full spectrum of drug-resistance.
TB Alliance’s ultimate vision is to have a transformative impact on the disease by introducing an ultra-short, simple, and affordable TB regimen that works in virtually all people with tuberculosis. This requires a multi-drug regimen comprised entirely of new drugs. Such a regimen would unify the treatment of all current forms of TB under one cure. That paradigm shift would have a major impact on the global epidemic and save millions of lives — and billions of dollars.
To achieve this impact, new regimens must be Adopted, Available, and Affordable.
Accelerating Innovation and Impact
Developing Regimens, not Individual Drugs
Active TB is treated with a combination of drugs. This is necessary to prevent the development of resistance. Traditionally, advances in TB treatment were achieved by replacing a single drug within a combination regimen, or adding a new drug to an existing regimen. This approach may improve efficacy in a clinical trial setting, but does little to address the major challenges of TB treatment, including the long duration, cost, and complexity of treatment.
Using the traditional approach, it could take a quarter of a century to develop a novel regimen. To accelerate the introduction of new regimens, TB Alliance evaluates novel combinations of TB drugs — instead of single drugs — as a single unit. This process begins early in discovery stage research where we identify the most promising combinations of drugs in models. The multi-drug regimens are then evaluated as a unit in later clinical trials. The regimen development approach can greatly reduce the time needed to introduce a fully novel regimen, as well as expands the impact of each regimen.
Utilizing this approach, TB Alliance led the development of the novel BPaL regimen, which is a combination of three drugs and has been established as the standard of care for most forms of drug-resistant TB.
TB Medicines for All
Without improved, simpler, safer, and affordable cures for tuberculosis—in all its forms—we cannot eradicate the disease.
TB Alliance has the largest portfolio of potential TB treatments in the world. Our pipeline includes several late-stage drug regimens poised to make a transformative impact on the disease. Additionally, we are dedicated to ensuring our products are approved for vulnerable and traditionally underserved communities including children and pregnant people.
For the latest updates on our projects, please visit our Pipeline page or Clinicaltrials.gov. To schedule a briefing, please contact communications@www.tballiance.org. Consult our open access policy for more information on our commitment to information sharing and transparency.