We are working on a more effective treatment for one of the leading causes of infectious deaths worldwide
Tuberculosis is an infection that primarily affects the lungs, but can disseminate to any part of the body, such as the kidney, spine and brain. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite being both a preventable and curable disease, it is the leading cause of infectious death worldwide. While tuberculosis can be found anywhere in the world, most people who contract tuberculosis are in low- and middle-income countries.
10M
people (est.) diagnosed with TB disease in 2019
1M+
children diagnosed in 2019
Source:
World Health Organization. WHO Tuberculosis fact sheet.
1.4M
people died of TB in 2019
Current treatment regimens for tuberculosis require patients to undergo daily multidrug treatment for up to two years, in the worst-case scenario. While effective, the complexity of the treatment along with social factors (such as accessibility) can lead to poor compliance, drug resistance and treatment failure. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remains a public health emergency: of the 10 million new cases in 2019, over 200,000 were multidrug-resistant.
Most people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis do not develop symptoms. People with weakened immune systems are at much higher risk of developing serious disease. While some antibacterial strategies are effective against tuberculosis, there are few immunomodulatory treatments – that is, those that modify the body’s immune response.
Dovramilast is a selective inhibitor of the enzyme PDE4 found in monocytes and macrophages and other cells of the innate immune response. PDE4 inhibitors are immunomodulators that down-regulate the production of pro-inflammatory factors and up-regulate the anti-inflammatory interleukin-10.
A paediatric dose-finding study, a phase 3b trial comparing efficacy and safety of annual and biannual moxidectin or ivermectin treatment and mathematical modelling of moxidectin and ivermectin based elimination strategies to support country policy decisions.
Developing a paediatric formulation moxidectin for neglected infectious diseases.
Primarily affecting the lungs, tuberculosis remains the leading cause of infectious death worldwide.
A debilitating and disfiguring disease found in 31 African countries and beyond.
An infectious skin condition affecting more than 200 million people at any one time.
A painful and debilitating disease of the lymph system affecting over 50 million people at any one time.
A soil-transmitted infection affecting up to 100 million people, particularly children.
A chronic infectious disease which may cause skin lesions and nerve damage found in 127 countries.
Among the most common of all infections with an estimated 1.5 billion people infected worldwide.