Recent news
November 2011
As report shows funding for TB research is falling, groups collaborate to accelerate new drugs
November 10, 2011 -- According to a new report from GHTC member the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the Stop TB Partnership, funding levels for tuberculosis (TB) research and development (R&D) dropped by 0.3 percent between 2009 and 2010. This is the first time funding for TB R&D has not increased since TAG began tracking investments in 2005. In 2009, the global community spent $619.2 million on TB R&D, compared with $617 million in 2010. The groups highlight that this amount provides less than one-third of the funding needed to provide the tools to eliminate TB.
“With current levels of funding it will be impossible to meet the research targets of the Global Plan to Stop TB 2011-2015,” said Dr. Lucica Ditiu, executive secretary of the Stop TB Partnership. “This is a completely unacceptable situation, because those targets are, I would dare to say, even modest. Where is the funding to push ahead research for a point-of-care diagnostic test accessible to all, new drugs for a shorter treatment time and a fully effective vaccine?”
Amidst this news for TB R&D funding, several organizations are launching a new partnership to accelerate the development of TB drug combinations. The Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens (CPTR) announced that AstraZeneca, Bayer, Sanofi, Tibotec, the World Health Organization, and GHTC member the TB Alliance will collaborate to develop the most promising TB drug regimens by sharing information from their drug pipelines.
"Working in collaboration, we have a real chance to make a difference to the lives of the millions of people who suffer from TB by contributing the most promising components from our respective pipelines to deliver new, effective treatments for this neglected disease faster,” said David Brennan, CEO of AstraZeneca.
While prior development of new TB regimens could take decades, this partnership will speed the process by enabling these organizations to better identify opportunities to test their compounds in combination. CPTR is also trying to speed the process by improving regulatory pathways for TB drug development. CPTR is working with regulatory scientists across the globe to help develop the tools that will be needed to allow testing of any new TB drugs in combination that are developed.
"Innovative partnerships are critical to speed development of new TB treatments," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "To support co-development, global regulatory systems need to continue to evolve to support new drug development paradigms and ensure lifesaving treatments rapidly reach those who need them most."
