AMERICAN SOCIETY
FOR MICROBIOLOGY
2006 BIODEFENSE RESEARCH MEETING
February 15-18, 2006
Washington, DC
MEDIA INFORMATION
CONTACT: Jim Sliwa
(202) 942-9297
jsliwa@asmusa.org
Feb. 15-18: (301) 873-3129 (cell)
EMBARGOED UNTIL: Friday, February 17, 2006, 1:00 p.m. EST
EXPERIMENTAL TB DRUG EFFECTIVE AGAINST RESISTANT AND LATENT
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
WASHINGTON, DC - February 17, 2006 -- An experimental tuberculosis
drug may be effective against not only multi drug-resistant
forms of the disease but could also be the first compound
to treat the latent stage of infection as well. Researchers
report their results today at the 2006 ASM Biodefense Research
Meeting.
"The class of which this compound is the lead has a very
different mechanism of action from any other drug currently
used to treat tuberculosis. We have identified no cross resistance
with existing drugs. Every isolate we have tested so far has
been susceptible to this compound," says Nicole Parrish
of Johns Hopkins Medical School, a lead researcher on the
study.
"This compound (FAS20013) appears to be a potential new
drug for treating all forms of tuberculosis, even drug-resistant
and latent infections," says Albert Owens, President
of FASgen, Inc., the company working to bring the drug to
market.
The potent killing activity of FAS20013 is directed specifically
against slow growing mycobacteria that cause the disease rather
than at a broad array of non-pathogenic organisms, which merely
enhances the emergence of drug- resistant strains. No resistance
has been encountered to FAS20013 in clinical isolates,. The
short-term killing power of FAS20013 is greater than currently
used drugs; for example, FAS20013 will kill more organisms
in a 4-hour exposure than isoniazid or rifampin can during
a 12- to 14-day exposure.
Multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has a fatality
rate of 20 to 80 percent. In the United States if a person
fails to respond to all therapies and doctors cannot bring
the active infection under control, that person must be quarantined
indefinitely to prevent the spread of the drug-resistant infection
in the population. In the most extreme cases, part of the
lung may be surgically removed. It is estimated the cost of
treating a single case of MDR-TB can be as much as $250,000.
What makes this drug candidate even more promising, says Parrish,
is that it may be the first compound ever to treat latent
tuberculosis infection as well.
After exposure, tuberculosis often establishes a latent infection,
where the infected patient has no symptoms and is not contagious,
but could become active at any time. It is estimated that
nearly a third of the world's population, approximately 2
billion people, are latently infected.
"The latently infected represent an enormous reservoir
for future outbreaks. Existing drugs are ineffective at targeting
latent infection. In laboratory assays our compound is lethal
to latently adapted Mycobacterium tuberculosis," says
Parrish.
The researchers are currently undertaking animal experiments
that examine pharmacology and toxicology in preparation for
an investigational new drug (IND) application to the Food
and Drug Administration, which they hope to submit in a few
months, so they may proceed to clinical trials.
If the drug lives up to the promise in human trials that it
showed in the laboratory, it could be available for treatment
of MDR-TB in two to three years, says Owens.
# # #
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is the largest
single life science society, composed of over 42,000 scientists,
teachers, physicians, and health professionals. Its mission
is to promote research and training in the microbiological
sciences and to assist communication between scientists, policymakers,
and the public to improve health, economic well-being, and
the environment.
Further information on the ASM Biodefense Research Meeting
can be found online at www.asmbiodefense.org.
Back to News Releases |
