New TB treatment pioneered at University of St Andrews could save millions of lives

Results of a worldwide trial were unveiled at a conference in Seattle on Monday.

Dr Muge Cevik, a clinical academic in infectious diseases and medical virology based in the Infections and Global Health Research Division of the School of Medicine at St Andrews, gave the news at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

It was attended by the most respected infectious disease healthcare professionals and scientists who met to discuss human retroviruses and other relevant infections such as TB and SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19).

Tuberculosis causes about a million deaths every year. The disease is treated with a combination of drugs - and the most drug-sensitive forms of TB require at least four months of treatment.

A global trial of SimpliciTB showed high efficacy and treatment shortening potential in both preclinical evaluations and an early-stage clinical study in drug resistant patients. A total of 455 patients with drug-susceptible or drug-resistant TB across eight countries took part in the trial.

Dr Cevik said: “Recent progress in tuberculosis therapeutics has been limited, with few new drug classes emerging in the last 50 years. Innovative clinical trials like SimpliciTB help us better understand how novel drug regimens work against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB, lighting the way to better treatment options for all TB patients.”

In 2021, ten million people were infected with TB and about 1.6 million people died. It is estimated that about 500,000 people every year are infected by a drug-resistant form of the disease. Novel drug regimens are urgently needed to help bring the TB pandemic under control.

The Infection and Global Health Research Division at the University of St Andrews works in a wide range of fields that includes clinical trials, genetics, anti-microbial resistance, diagnostic tools, education, and global health policy.

Dr Derek Sloan, Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine involved in the global trial added: “The trial suggests that new antibiotic combinations can kill all types of TB bacteria faster than traditional approaches, which is exciting.

“However, as we find new options to improve TB treatment, we still need to work out which therapies are most suitable for each individual patient. Future work will include more detailed investigation of which anti-TB antibiotics work best together. Future considerations will include patient safety and the complex logistics of how to implement new treatment strategies across the diverse range of settings where TB is a major threat to health, worldwide.”

The TB Alliance - a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of better, faster-acting and affordable drugs -plans to submit data to a peer-reviewed publication.

Professor Stephen Gillespie, leader of the infection group at St Andrews, said: “This study shows the value of St Andrews world-leading partnership working with international collaborators and the TB Alliance.

“Together, we have a sustained commitment to develop new and better treatments for tuberculosis which remains a threat to human health globally.”