Revolutionizing tuberculosis treatment: Breakthroughs, challenges, and hope on the horizon

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), was responsible for the deaths of approximately 1.3 million people in 2022. In addition, 7.5 million new cases of TB have been reported. Present-day treatments require a daily dosing of a multiple-drug regimen for a minimum of six-month, but poor adherence and other factors often lead to treatment failure. Consequently, drug-resistant TB strains have become a growing concern, leading to more complex and expensive treatments. Promising drugs such as bedaquiline, delamanid, and pretomanid have been recently released, and 19 drug candidates are currently at different phases of clinical trials, addressing the problem of drug-resistant TB. Notwithstanding recent advances, the development of effective and safe drugs with novel mechanisms of action remains a challenge due to the unique nature of Mtb. Despite the persistent need for new treatments, TB research remains underfunded, highlighting the importance of collaborations between academia and the private sector in the advancement of anti-TB drug development. This review provides a perspective on the dynamic landscape of anti-TB drug discovery in recent years, offering hope for a more effective approach to combat this persistent global health threat.