New tuberculosis drug shows major promise as trials suggest faster, safer cure
A new tuberculosis treatment may cut months off recovery time and push cure rates even higher. This is as per new findings by the World Health Organization’s annual report on tuberculosis, launched last week. The trial results land at a tense moment. The World Health Organization has recently warned that TB still kills over 1.2 million people a year and remains a “major global public-health problem,” even as funding tightens and progress slips behind targets.
Researchers working with the TB Alliance say their latest antibiotic, sorfequiline, showed stronger action against TB bacteria than the drugs routinely used today – without raising fresh safety concerns. The results were presented at the Union Conference on Lung Health in Copenhagen, offering one of the more hopeful updates in TB care in years, The Guardian reported.
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What the trial actually tested
The study followed 309 people across 22 sites in South Africa, the Philippines, Georgia, Tanzania and Uganda. Everyone in the trial had “drug-sensitive” tuberculosis, where standard medicines normally work, though researchers told The Guardian the drug could eventually help patients with resistant forms too.
Participants were assigned different dose combinations of sorfequiline in four-week periods. Dr Maria Beumont of the TB Alliance explained to the outlet that the drug’s biggest potential advantage was its simplicity. “I can just put you on a treatment while I’m waiting to understand exactly what your situation is,” she said.
That matters because diagnosing the exact TB type can take days or even weeks in places where testing infrastructure is thin.
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What doctors on the ground want next
According to The Guardian, Dr William Brumskine of the Aurum Institute in South Africa said that he hopes a shorter, universal treatment could ease clinic workloads. “The hope of having a universal regimen that is shorter, that has fewer side effects, is that you will have fewer individuals coming in for clinic visits,” he said. That frees up healthcare workers to spend more time with each patient.
Today’s gold-standard TB therapy, introduced in 2019, cures about 90 per cent of drug-resistant cases in six months – a massive improvement over the 18-month regimens of a decade ago. The goal now is to improve outcomes even further.
The TB Alliance plans a phase-3 trial in 2026, according to The Guardian. Experts at the conference stressed the promise while also flagging concerns. Dr Kavindhran Velen of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease warned that health systems must avoid abandoning investment in testing.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
