Johnson & Johnson(J & J) discovered a new drug ,called Sirturo, for multidrug resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB) by scientist at Janssen, the pharmaceuticals unit. The Food and Drug Administration(F.D.A) approved the new drug on Monday.
Tuberculosis is one of the world’s most serious diseases. According to J & J, about 12M people had tuberculosis in the world last year and 630,000 people had multidrug resistant tuberculosis.
Dr. Paul Stoffels, the chief scientific officer at J & J, said F.D.A.'s approval of Sirturo for tuberculosis was the first time in 40 years. Sirturo is designed to work in a new way to treat tuberculosis and would be used with other drugs.
Tuberculosis usually is treated with a combination of four drugs for at least six months, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. But, some forms of tuberculosis can't be treated with currently available drugs, which the FDA has said "threatens to erode the progress made in the world-wide control of tuberculosis." according to The Wall Street Journal.
The patients who have MDR-TB fewer than 100 in America. However, FDA approval can strengthen the chances for approval in countries where the disease is more prevalent such as India, China and Eastern Europe.
