NEW YORK (AP) - Drug developer Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it will work with the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development as it continues developing the tuberculosis treatment TMC207.
The drug candidate, now in midstage clinical trials, works by inhibiting an enzyme responsible for fueling tuberculosis cells, thereby cutting off the cell's energy supply. Midstage study results have so far shown the drug is effective as part of a combination treatment when compared with a placebo. Results from a second stage of the midstage program are expected in 2010.
Under the deal with the TB Alliance, J&J's partner Tibotec will continue developing the drug for drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis. If it were approved, the parties involved will establish an access program for developing countries. The TB Alliance will have a royalty-free license on the drug for drug-susceptible forms of tuberculosis.
Meanwhile, development costs will be shared.
"To make a meaningful contribution to the global fight against TB, we knew we had to take a novel approach," said Dr. Paul Stoffels, global head of J&J's pharmaceutical research and development unit. "Our collaboration with the TB Alliance represents a major step forward in the fight against TB as the two organizations combine their expertise and resources in the quest to make new TB treatments available."
Tuberculosis remains one of the world's deadliest diseases and has harshly impacted developing countries as the drug-resistant form of the condition gains ground. The World Health Organization estimates approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with bacillus that causes tuberculosis and the disease is responsible for nearly 5,000 deaths each day worldwide.