PaMZ – TB

♤ PaMZ – TB is new tuberculosis (TB) drug developed by Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance).

♤ PaMZ is a combination of three drugs, two of which have not been licensed for TB treatment before. If the trials are conclusive, it will only be the third new TB drug to be licensed in 60 years.

♤ PaMZ’s development has been hailed as abreakthrough. It will be available for both drug-sensitive and some drug resistant TB patients (about a third of cases). In the case of the latter, it promises to reduce the treatment duration (from two years to six months) and its cost (from $2,000 to $100), simplify it (pills-only, no injection required) and improve cure rates.

♤ PaMZ will also be compatible with anti-retrovirals (ARV) for treating HIV, offering a new solution for millions of co-infected HIV-TB patients. At least a third of the 35.3m people living with HIV are infected with TB and the disease is the leading cause of death among HIV-positive patients.