Researchers of Johns Hopkins Medical School reported their results at the 2006 American Society of Microbiology Biodefense Research Meeting that an experimental tuberculosis drug, a compound tagged as FAS20013 may be effective against multi drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis as well as the latent stage of infection of the disease.
The potent killing activity of FAS20013 is directed specifically against slow growing mycobacteria that cause the disease rather than at a broad array of non-pathogenic organisms, which merely enhances the emergence of drug- resistant strains. No resistance has been encountered to FAS20013 in clinical isolates. The short-term killing power of FAS20013 is greater than currently used drugs; for example, FAS20013 will kill more organisms in a 4-hour exposure than isoniazid or rifampin can during a 12- to 14-day exposure.
Multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has a fatality rate of 20 to 80 percent. In the if a person fails to respond to all therapies and doctors cannot bring the active infection under control, that person must be quarantined indefinitely to prevent the spread of the drug-resistant infection in the population. In the most extreme cases, part of the lung may be surgically removed. It is estimated the cost of treating a single case of MDR-TB can be as much as $250,000.
This new drug is a potential cure against all TB forms and researchers are currently undertaking animal experiments that examine pharmacology and toxicology in preparation for an investigational new drug ( FASgen, Inc. is the company working to bring the drug into the market.
Source:[EurekAlert]
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