Tuberculosis Management - Current Research

Current Research

There is some evidence from animal and clinical studies that suggests that moxifloxacin-containing regimens as short as four months may be as effective as six months of conventional therapy. Bayer is currently running a Phase II clinical trial in collaboration with the TB Alliance to evaluate shorter treatment regimens for TB; encouragingly, Bayer have also promised that if the trials are successful, Bayer will make moxifloxacin affordable and accessible in countries that need it.

The following drugs are experimental compounds that are not commercially available, but which may be available from the manufacturer as part of a clinical trial or on a compassionate basis. Their efficacy and safety are unknown:

• PA-824 (manufactured by PathoGenesis Corporation, Seattle, Washington)
• R207910 (under development by Johnson & Johnson)
• Perchlozone (manufactured by JSC Pharmasyntez), Russia)

A Ukrainian herbal product has been the subject of several small, open label clinical trials, with promising results in TB patients and in patients with TB/HIV coinfection. Open label trials with Dzherelo/Immunoxel have also been positive in Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis patients and Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients. Stirling Products Ltd of Australia has announced further work in drug-resistant TB and in TB/HIV in trials in Nigeria.

V-5 Immunitor (known as "V5") is an oral hepatitis B and hepatitis C treatment vaccine administered as simple tablets. In patients co-infected with hepatitis C and tuberculosis, TB sputum clearance was unexpectedly noted within only one month. Further blinded studies at multiple trial centres suggest that V5 is equally effective against multiple drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).