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£18 million boost for discovery of new oral treatment for TB

24 March 2009

The discovery of new oral treatments for tuberculosis (TB), which could save millions of lives in developing countries, will receive an £18 million boost, International Development Minister Ivan Lewis announced today.

Current treatment requires multiple antibiotics to be administered over a period of up to 24 to 30 months, which is impractical for people living in developing countries who often don’t have access to local medical facilities.

Scientists are developing new treatment regimens, which will reduce the duration of treatment to a fraction of that required at present. But there is concern that the economic downturn could lead to a lack of sustained funding for research and prevent the discovery of more effective treatments.

Speaking ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March, Ivan Lewis announced the £18 million research funding package for the TB Alliance.

The funding will support:

  • the discovery of new life-saving treatments that will shorten treatment duration and be effective against both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant strains of TB
  • strategic initiatives to streamline and potentially revolutionize the process by which new TB treatments are developed.

Ivan Lewis said:

"The reality is that people living on just over 90p a day can’t afford to be away from their families or jobs for pro-longed treatment. That is why tuberculosis killed 1.65 million people last year – approximately one person every 20 seconds.

"The international community needs to reduce the human toll of this epidemic by making the discovery of more effective treatments a priority. That is why we are supporting research by the TB Alliance towards the development of new oral treatments that will save millions of lives."

Dr. Melvin Spigelman, President and CEO of the TB Alliance, said:

"This generous commitment will help us deliver new, urgently needed treatments to patients stricken by this terrible disease. But the ramifications of success could be even further-reaching. Commitments to address the burden of neglected diseases, like tuberculosis, are investments in the long term growth of communities and independence of economies, worldwide."

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease which is spread through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms may include coughing blood, fever, night sweats and weight loss.

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Notes to editors

1. In November 2008, at a meeting on "Joining forces to accelerate the development of new prevention technologies for HIV", the UK government committed £220 million for the development of prevention technologies for diseases including HIV, TB and malaria. The £18 million has been allocated from this fund.