The TB Alliance and the Korean Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) recently renewed their Agreement to develop novel quinolone compounds for TB. Already, several exciting compounds have been identified and are currently under preclinical evaluation.
More than 500 compounds have been synthesized since the start of this program and a large number of compounds have shown outstanding activity against replicating and non-replicating M. tuberculosis (M.tb). Quinolone antibiotics are among the most effective drugs used to treat MDR-TB and, as a class, hold the potential to significantly shorten the duration of therapy.
The studies are being conducted in Korea and the United States where various TB Alliance collaborators and contractors are evaluating the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of synthesized compounds. Final drug candidates will be selected to advance into IND-enabling studies in December 2006.