FDA to Collaborate with Pharma Companies on New TB Initiative
A number of pharmaceutical companies will collaborate with FDA scientists to test new TB combination therapies and identify promising candidates.
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UNICEF and WHO Launch Global Plan Against Pneumonia
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF are kicking off a comprehensive plan to fight the world’s leading child killer.
Burrill Report: Leading Malaria Drug Becoming Less Effective
Poor regulations and substandard use could be to blame for growing resistance to a leading anti-malaria drug, researchers say.
Two Studies Show Potential for Treating Drug-Resistant TB
Tuberculosis, or TB, is one of the world’s most widespread lethal diseases, killing someone every 20 seconds. An estimated one-third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis. Current medications for TB must be taken for six months, but many patients stop before they’ve completed the full course, which has caused drug-resistant strains of TB to develop in recent years. However, two new studies are showing promise in treating this highly infectious disease.
According to Science Daily, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University found that a combination of two FDA-approved antibiotics showed potential for treating drug-resistant TB. One of the drugs, clavulanate, inhibits a bacterial enzyme that normally protects TB bacteria from the other antibiotic (meropenem). Clinical trials of the combined treatment are scheduled to take place later this year in South Africa and South Korea.