A message from the CEO and Board Chair
We believe 2019 will prove to be a seminal year for the future of tuberculosis (TB) therapy.
The pathway to our goal of short, simplified treatments for all patients with active tuberculosis is clearer than ever. We can more readily envision a world in which all patients with active TB can be treated with the same drugs in a short, simplified regimen. Our commitment to developing new regimens is bearing fruit for patients.
TB Alliance in 2019
As we celebrate our 20th year, we now have proof that the most highly resistant forms of active TB can be treated for the same period of time that it takes to treat drug-sensitive TB. Our newly approved regimen, containing a novel anti-TB drug along with one presently approved drug for TB and one repurposed antibiotic, has now been approved in the United States for the most highly drug-resistant population of active TB patients. It is now under review in Europe, India and South Africa, with many more regulatory submissions to come.
Our next challenge is to translate this accomplishment into saving lives. This will require an enormous amount of work and the same spirit of innovative partnerships as our approach has been to research and development of novel drugs and regimens.
"We now have proof that the most highly resistant forms of active TB can be treated for the same period of time that it takes to treat drug-sensitive TB."
With respect to our new product, we have quickly reached agreements with three commercial partners within four months of US FDA regulatory approval in August 2019, with a goal of bringing generic competition to the market at a rapid pace. In October, it was listed in the Global Drug Facility catalogue for 150 countries at a lower price than that of any other TB drug approved this century.
This achievement brings us much closer to the day when we can break down the barriers between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB therapy, thereby simplifying treatment for everyone. But successfully developing a universal regimen will likely require a significantly larger portfolio of compounds than what is presently available that can be combined into novel regimens that are highly active against all strains of the TB bacillus.
This past year has also been noteworthy in that we have continued to advance three Phase 3 trials, shepherd multiple novel compounds through the translational medicine space, and progress the largest single TB drug discovery portfolio.
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the generosity of our donors, for which we are profoundly grateful. We are especially thankful that so many of our donors have provided continued support over many years, with a clear appreciation that success in this field demands a sustained commitment of time and resources.
Above all, we are grateful to the patients who participate in our research. No progress can be made without their courage, as they literally put their lives on the line when they volunteer to participate in a clinical trial for which there is never a guarantee of success.
Twenty years ago, the signatories to the Declaration of Cape Town deemed TB “a blot on the consciousness of human kind” and set in motion the creation of TB Alliance. Today, we reinforce our commitment to advancing new cures and meeting the aspirations of those who gathered in Cape Town, demanding a better future for all those who suffer from TB.
