PHA-Exchange> New molecule offers hope for faster TB cure

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>
>
http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1596&languag
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>
> New molecule offers hope for faster TB cure

> [NEW DELHI] Indian researchers have discovered a new
> molecule that they say could lead to a faster cure for
> tuberculosis (TB). They have applied for clearance to
> perform human clinical trials on the potential drug and for
> patents both in India and in the United States.
>
> The molecule has been tested in rats and in guinea pigs,
> where it reduced the normal treatment time of six to eight
> months to just two months. In addition, it was found to be
> effective against all known drug-resistant strains of the
> bacterium that causes TB.
>
> Indian science minister Kapil Sibal announced the results on
> Monday (6 September). Raghunath Mashelkar, director general
> of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),
> which participated in the study, says this is the first time
> in 40 years that a TB drug candidate has shown promising
> results in animal studies.
>
> Mumbai-based Lupin Laboratories identified the new molecule
> in 2001. In subsequent cell-based and animal studies,
> researchers found that it significantly reduced numbers of
> TB bacteria. When given in combination with other TB drugs,
> it cleared TB bacteria in animal lungs and spleens within
> two months.
>
> Over the course of six months, the scientists found no
> evidence that the bacteria developed resistance to the drug.
> The researchers observed no adverse effects on tested
> animals whether the molecule was given in single or multiple
> doses, and a single oral dose given daily was effective.
>
> The proposed human trials would study whether the molecule
> could work as a stand-alone drug, or substitute one or two
> components of the present four-drug cocktail, says Sudarshan
> Arora, of Lupin Laboratories.
>
> The current anti-TB treatment lasts six to eight months and
> is effective only in an uninterrupted schedule. In many
> resource-poor countries, patients often skip their doses,
> which makes multiple drug resistance more likely.
>
> Some 1.6 billion people (almost one-third of the world
> population) are infected with TB, with eight million new
> cases occurring each year. The current global market for TB
> drugs is estimated at US$600 million.
>
> A consortium of 12 government research institutes and
> universities joined Lupin Laboratories to develop the
> molecule. They included three CSIR laboratories: the Central
> Drug Research Institute in Lucknow, the Indian Institute of
> Chemical Technology in Hyderabad, the National Chemical
> Laboratory in Pune, and the University of Hyderabad.