Skip to main content

FDA Approves TB Pill That Cures More Hard-To Treat Patients

FDA Approves TB Pill That Cures More Hard-To Treat Patients

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. regulators Wednesday approved a new tuberculosis medicine that shortens and improves treatment for the hardest-to-treat cases, a worsening problem in many poor countries. It's the first TB drug from a nonprofit group. The TB Alliance, formed to come up with better treatments, developed pretomanid with help from charities and government agencies.

  
The drug pretomanid. On Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved pretomanid, the first tuberculosis drug developed by a nonprofit group. The TB Alliance was formed to come up with better treatments for the pulmonary disease. (TB Alliance via AP)
August 14, 2019
The pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use with two other antibiotics. Decades of incomplete or ineffective treatment has resulted in TB strains that have become drug resistant and aren't killed by long-standard medicines.
In a key study, the three-pill combo cured about 90% of patients with very drug-resistant TB, usually within 6 months. Patients also infected with HIV, a common situation, fared as well as the other study participants. Pretomanid also appears to stop patients from spreading the deadly bacterial infection after just a few days' treatment.
Until now, the best option cured about two-thirds of patients, took 18 to 30 months and required up to eight kinds of shots and pills. Many patients die or don't finish treatment, according to TB Alliance CEO Mel Spigelman.
Worldwide, TB kills about 1.6 million people annually. It spreads through droplets when someone sick with TB sneezes or coughs. TB attacks the lungs and sometimes other organs. Pretomanid was approved for use with Zyvox and Sirturo, two other antibiotics used for the toughest cases. The three drugs, which have little known resistance, attack tuberculosis in different ways. Potential side effects include liver damage, nerve pain and an irregular heartbeat.
The new combo could help over 75,000 patients per year, mostly in India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria, Spigelman said. The FDA is the first regulator to approve pretomanid, though there aren't many severe cases in the U.S. The FDA's action should bring quick approval in countries where it's endemic.
The alliance will work with the World Health Organization to speed adoption of the treatment in those countries. The alliance is contracting with multiple generic manufacturers to make pretomanid and keep it affordable.
Follow Linda A. Johnson at https://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


 skunty empire
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

comments below

TRENDING

North Korea tests completed Yongbyon nuclear reactor, say analysts

Post a Comment
Read more »��

How to prepare Chicken Miso Meatballs in 3 easy steps

Post a Comment
Read more »��

Cakes you should taste before the end of the year

Post a Comment
Read more »��

Finger Foods you should Try : Oven BBQ Chicken

Post a Comment
Read more »��

How to prepare Charleston Red Rice

Post a Comment
Read more »��

Carlo Ancelotti offers Luka Modrić coaching role at Real Madrid

Post a Comment
Read more »��

Amazon raises minimum wage for UK and US staff after working conditions criticised

Post a Comment
Read more »��

Japanese boneless chicken recipes

Post a Comment
Read more »��

Popular posts from this blog

North Korea tests completed Yongbyon nuclear reactor, say analysts

New post North Korea tests completed Yongbyon nuclear reactor, say analysts Image: Experts say recent satellite imagery shows testing has begun at the Yongbyon reactor North Korea has begun testing a nuclear reactor that could be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, according to intelligence analysts. The country has been developing an experimental light water reactor at the Yongbyon Atomic Energy Research Centre for several years, but activity is said to have increased in recent months. Experts say recent satellite imagery shows the reactor has been structurally finished and there is evidence testing has begun. According to a report by intelligence analysts Jane's Intelligence Review, the imagery showed emissions on non-condensable gases from a stack at the reactor. Although the reactor could be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium, North Korea is believed to already have enough fissile material for several nuclear bombs. Construction of the...
Post a Comment
Read more »��

How to prepare Chicken Miso Meatballs in 3 easy steps

Chicken Miso Meatballs Ground chicken bosom meat is genuinely lean, so milk is added to this formula to keep them damp and delicate.  As the meatballs prepare, the miso caramelizes into exquisite chomps of sweet-pungent umami.  Disintegrated Ritz wafers add lavishness and make a more succulent meatball (however plain, dry bread pieces will likewise work). To make the Ritz morsels, place the wafers in a resealable plastic pack and delicately squash them with the rear of a wooden spoon or estimating cup.  These additionally make a scrumptious hors d'oeuvre: Simply fold the blend into more modest 1-inch balls. For a fast plunging sauce, join 2 sections soy sauce to 1 section refined white vinegar, and add cut scallions, or red-pepper pieces, assuming you like hotness. INGREDIENTS  ¼   cup whole milk 3   tablespoons sweet white miso 1   tablespoon minced garlic 1   teaspoons kosher salt ¾   teaspoon black pepper ½   cup finely crushed Ritz c...
Post a Comment
Read more »��

Cakes you should taste before the end of the year

Chocolate and Almond Tiger Cake This almond cake depends on lenders, the little, typically ingot-formed cakes originally made in Paris in the last part of the 1880s. The baked good gourmet specialist Lasne made and named them for his stockbroker clients, keeping them simple and slick to eat on the run - piece of cake. Made with egg whites, ground nuts and a great deal of dissolved margarine, the formula is enticingly riffable. My beloved take is the tigré, a round, chocolate-dotted cake finished off with a spot of ganache. Years prior, I misread the name, and I've called them tiger cakes from that point forward. My play on the tiger is a huge cake, somewhat less rich than the first, go through with cleaved chocolate and covered with enough ganache to leave obvious smircesh. Stockbrokers be careful. Recipes  5 tablespoons/70 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the pan ½ cup/65 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼...
Post a Comment
Read more »��

Finger Foods you should Try : Oven BBQ Chicken

  Oven BBQ Chicken Time : 1hour  This juicy chicken is coated in barbecue sauce and uses the oven instead of the grill frequently, with the following helpful tip: Barbecue sauce is spread over most of the roast chicken that has been dry-rubbed. The rendered fat from the chicken gives the finished sauce its shine and thickness. After being spooned on, it is roasting the chicken until it is sticky, caramelized, and flavorful. Serve the excess sauce with supper, use it to dip poultry in, or eat it by the spoonful. (Try using this stovetop technique for boneless BBQ chicken.) INGREDIENTS Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1 (18-ounce) jar barbecue sauce, or 2 cups homemade barbecue sauce About 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters or thighs, patted dry 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as grapeseed) 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar PREPARATION Step 1 Heat the oven to 425 degre...
Post a Comment
Read more »��