J&J teams up with TB Alliance to develop tuberculosis drug

NEW YORK Drug developer Johnson & Johnson announced plans to team up with the Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Drug Development as it continues developing the TB treatment TMC207.

As of now, TMC207 is in mid-stage clinical trials and, if approved, could be the first of its kind on the market, as well as the first TB drug in more than four decades to take a new approach to treating the condition, according to reports.

According to the partnership with the TB Alliance, J&J’s partner Tibotec will continue developing the drug for drug-resistant forms of TB. If it is approved, the parties involved will establish an access program for developing countries. The TB Alliance will have a royalty-free license on the drug for drug-susceptible forms of TB and development costs will be shared.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately one-third of the world’s population is infected with bacillus that causes TB. The disease is responsible for nearly 5,000 deaths daily worldwide, making it one of the world’s deadliest diseases.