Under the agreement which has been extended for a further three years, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the TB Alliance jointly fund 15 to 25 fully dedicated scientists at GSK’s Tres Cantos facility in Spain where GSK has a team of scientists committed to TB and malaria research – two of the three major communicable diseases affecting the developing world.
The joint research program currently consists of a portfolio of five projects with promise in fighting TB. The two most advanced drug discovery projects, which are still at the discovery stage, explore two classes of novel antibiotics with unprecedented anti-tubercular mechanisms of action. They have been shown in non-clinical studies to have potential benefits in fighting persistent forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) and thereby might offer better chances of shortening treatment duration, which currently takes about six months to complete.
Mel Spigelman, director of research and development, TB Alliance, said: “This collaboration is advancing the TB Alliance’s mission to develop revolutionary, faster and better TB treatment regimens by exploring new ways to attack the disease.”