Groundbreaking trial results suggest a new tuberculosis treatment could significantly improve cure rates and slash treatment duration by months, offering hope in the fight against the world's deadliest infectious disease.
A Global Health Crisis
Tuberculosis remains a major global public health threat, with the World Health Organization reporting that approximately 10.7 million people contracted TB last year alone. The disease claimed 1.23 million lives in the same period, maintaining its position as the leading infectious cause of death worldwide.
Progress against TB faces significant challenges, including aid cuts and falling short of targets set by the United Nations to eliminate TB as a public health threat this decade. The WHO's recent annual tuberculosis report highlighted these concerning trends.
The Sorfequiline Breakthrough
Researchers from the TB Alliance presented compelling evidence at the Union Conference on Lung Health in Copenhagen that Sorfequiline, a novel antibiotic, demonstrates stronger action against tuberculosis bacteria compared to existing treatments. Crucially, the new drug maintains a comparable safety profile to current options.
The phase-2 trial involved 309 participants across 22 research sites in South Africa, the Philippines, Georgia, Tanzania and Uganda. Different dosage regimens were tested among patients with "drug-sensitive" tuberculosis, though researchers believe the treatment could also benefit those with drug-resistant strains.
Dr Maria Beumont, vice-president of TB Alliance, explained the potential advantage: "I can just put you on a treatment while I'm waiting to understand exactly what your situation is. There is no need to go through all of that classification process."
Transforming Patient Care
The implications for global TB treatment could be profound. In many regions, access to swift diagnostic testing remains limited, with doctors sometimes waiting days or weeks for laboratory results to identify specific TB strains before beginning appropriate treatment.
Dr William Brumskine, clinical research site leader at the Aurum Institute in Rustenburg, South Africa, expressed optimism about improving overall patient care. "The hope of having a universal regimen that is shorter, that has less side-effects, is you will have less individuals coming in for clinic visits," he noted, adding that healthcare providers would consequently have more time for individual patient attention.
The potential improvement represents another step forward in TB treatment evolution. A decade ago, drug-resistant tuberculosis patients endured gruelling 18-month regimens involving multiple injections and hospital stays, with only about half achieving cure. The current gold-standard treatment, introduced in 2019, successfully treats 90% of patients within six months.
Dr Beumont shared the growing excitement among researchers, recalling anecdotes from trial sites: "This patient got cured so fast. I don't know what arm he was on, but wow, I've never seen this before."
While Dr Kavindhran Velen, chief scientific officer at the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, acknowledged the clear benefits of a swifter, more effective treatment, he cautioned against potential downsides of universal application. He emphasised the importance of ensuring that stronger treatments aren't unnecessarily used for cases that could be managed with gentler drugs.
The TB Alliance plans to launch a phase-3 clinical trial in 2026, bringing this promising treatment one step closer to potentially transforming the global fight against tuberculosis.
