MANILA, Philippines - An investigational compound for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was shown to be effective with a good safety profile in research spearheaded by global healthcare company Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Otsuka).
Otsuka’s mission is to find innovative solutions to address the world’s true unmet medical needs, particularly on TB.
Research on tuberculosis has long been a priority of Otsuka. With more than 30 years of commitment in this field, Otsuka is now the top private funder of TB research and development in the world.
This new development in the exploration of treatments for drug-resistant TB represents a milestone not only for Otsuka but also for the entire TB community which has not seen a new treatment option in nearly half a century.
Delamanid is Otsuka’s investigational compound derived from a class of compounds known as nitro-dihydro-imidazooxazoles, which work by inhibiting synthesis of mycolic acid.
Resulting from the trial appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a 53 percent increase in sputum culture conversion after two months of treatment between subjects who received delamanid 100 mg twice-daily (BID) and a background regimen (BR) consistent with WHO guidelines and subjects receiving placebo plus BR alone.
Sputum culture conversion is evaluated to check for growth of the TB bacteria and the outcome of the treatment for the disease. Diagnosis for MDR-TB requires special laboratory diagnostic capacity that remains elusive in many less-developed countries.
According to WHO data, only about five percent of all MDR-TB cases are being detected and only two percent receive adequate treatment.
Nearly 50 years since the latest TB treatment, more virulent and drug-resistant forms of the disease have already surfaced.
Despite substantial efforts to control TB, it remains a significant global health burden. There is an urgent need for short, simple and easily tolerated regimens that are effective in patients who are resistant to current regimens.