A lead compound in the TB Alliance portfolio, PA-824, recently showed additional promise as a potential TB drug in studies conducted in a murine model, according to a team at the Center for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Presenting at the annual American Thoracic Society meeting this spring, Dr. Jacques Grosset and his colleagues showed data that revealed PA-824 has bactericidal activity similar to that of isoniazid and could have sterilizing activity that exceeds isoniazid’s and may rival that of the most effective TB sterilizing drug, rifampin.
These attributes were particularly noteworthy in the continuation phase of TB therapy. While recommending further studies, the scientists highlighted other comparative advantages of PA-824 as a new TB drug: its narrow spectrum of activity and its lack of cross-resistance.
Dr. Grosset and his team maintain their murine model, widely regarded for its ability to mimic human disease, with support from the TB Alliance and have conducted similar studies with other potential TB drugs. PA-824, licensed to the TB Alliance, and developed under its support and direction, has passed several major preclinical milestones and is expected to enter Phase I clinical trials in early 2005.