Novel TB treatment ups patients’ odds
New compound to treat drug-resistant TB developed by TB Alliance, combined with two other medicines, cured 89% of patients in SA study
A promising new treatment for extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) that was tested in SA has been submitted to US regulators, taking its developers a step closer to providing patients with far better odds of defeating the disease. XDR-TB is a strain of the disease that is resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, and consequently difficult to treat. Although the outlook for patients in SA has improved with the recent introduction of Johnson & Johnson’s Bedaquiline, the cure rate is still only about 60%. The new treatment includes the novel chemical entity pretomanid, developed by the TB Alliance, with generic linezolid, and Bedaquiline. This “BPaL” regimen cures 89% of patients, according to the interim results of the Nix-TB trial, presented at the Union World Conference on Lung Health in 2018. “It is a watershed treatment,” the principal investigator of the Nix-TB trial, Francesca Conradie, told Business Day on Wednesday. The trial results have been submitted to a pee...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.