GSK and TB alliance renew tuberculosis programme

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB alliance) have renewed their joint research programme which aims to improve treatment options for patients with tuberculosis (TB).

Initiated in 2004, the collaboration includes a portfolio of early projects which are hoped to bring about new medicines that target the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), which causes TB.

This latest agreement will see GSK and TB Alliance continue to jointly fund 15 to 25 scientists at GSK’s Tres Cantos facility in Spain, where the team focus on TB and malaria research.

Dr Zhi Hong, senior vice-president of the Infectious Diseases Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery at GSK, acknowledged that there was a “considerable amount of work” still to be undertaken but there had been significant progress under the partnership.

“The worsening TB epidemic and emerging multi-drug resistant TB demand a new treatment paradigm, one which GSK is committed to find through this collaboration,” he added.

Five projects are currently being developed under the research programme including two advanced drug discovery projects exploring classes of novel antibiotics with anti-tubercular mechanisms of action.

Last month, GSK and Medicines for Malaria Venture announced a new collaboration to identify novel drugs for the treatment of malaria.