New Drug Could Cut TB Treatment Time in Half  

   
On a global scale, tuberculosis is behind only AIDS as the leading
cause of death from infectious disease. Findings published online
today in the journal Science offer fresh hope for treating the deadly
scourge: a new drug candidate treats TB in mice twice as fast as
conventional treatments do.
Current antibacterial treatment regimes for TB can require up to nine
months of daily drug doses. Patients who do not--or cannot--comply
with their doctor's orders may not recover from the disease.
Furthermore, they may contribute to drug-resistant forms. A Johnson &
Johnson research team identified a new compound known as R207910 that
kills the M. tuberculosis bacterium by inhibiting the cell's
energy-producing machinery. "The drug acts through a novel mechanism
of action, and is therefore active against all multidrug resistant
(MDR) strains of TB tested so far," team leader Koen Andries says.
 
The scientists tested the new compound using a mouse model of TB and
found that substituting R207910 for one of three antibiotics in a
treatment cocktail significantly reduced the time required to clear
the animals' lungs of bacteria. After two months, instead of the usual
four, the mice were TB-free. Initial trials indicate that the drug is
safe for people, although much more study is required. But Andries is
cautiously optimistic: "Barring any unsuspected side effects, we
really do think we have a very interesting compound." --Sarah Graham  



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