Novartis enters five-year tuberculosis deal
Novartis and the non-profit Global Alliance for TB Drug Development have announced a five-year research and development agreement.
The Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases – a Singapore-based research centre managed by the Basel-based pharmaceutical firm – on Tuesday said the partnership would work to develop new tuberculosis (TB) medicines, including for drug-resistant strains of the virus.
“While the global TB crisis shows no signs of abating, new treatments that are easier for patients to complete and that attack TB in new, faster ways are desperately needed,” said Dr Jerome Premmereur, president and chief executive of the TB Alliance.
The partnership would also lead to the development of drug regimens that could be safely used by patients with HIV/Aids, Novartis said in a statement.
Tuberculosis killed over 1.5 million people in 2006, according to the World Health Organization.
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