TBD-UK: The UK response in the discovery and development of new TB drugs.
Dr Geoff Coxon
Deputy Leader & Director of Medicinal Chemistry, TBD-UK
APPG-TB New Tools meeting HoC 23rd June 2011
www.tbd-uk.org.uk
Why are we here today?
• We all know the facts and figures about TB
New tools urgently required:
Rapid, robust, reliable & accurate diagnostics
Vaccines
Key Biomarkers
New drugs
Why new TB drugs?
• Treatment takes 6 to 9 months
• Contributes to low compliance, resistance and relapse
• Co-infection with HIV/AIDS is limits the use of current drugs
• No new drugs since the 1960s!
• New drugs urgently needed to reduce treatment time, combat resistance and be compatible with HIV/AIDS sufferers
Broad spectrum antibiotics
Drug regime for drug susceptible TB
The Challenge !
State of the current development pipeline
• Long & Very complex with high rates of attrition
• Highly multi disciplinary
• Very expensive - £100s millions
• No commercial market to sustain the development pipeline
Current strategy:
• TB Alliance is the “Global Coordinator” working with partners in academia and pharmaceutical industry
• UK can increase its’ established role within this strategy
State of the current Global development pipeline
Early Stage Discovery
Basic Science
Identification of new “actives”
Numerous projects in UK and globally from academia and pharmaceutical industry
At least 30 known projects to discover new actives
Exploratory Development
Pre-clinical
Clinical
At least 6 known projects
8 projects at Phase I and II
Full Development
3 projects including REMox-TB (UCL & St Andrews) at Phase III
None at launch & phase IV (since 1960s)
Start
FinishProgressing BUT grossly insufficient
The UK perspective: TB Drug discovery UK (TBD-UK)
• Funded for 2 years in 2009 by the Medical Research Council
• UK wide consortia of academic and industrial partners involved in TB drug discovery and development research
• Goal: To engage the UK in coordinated research and maximise it’s contribution to global efforts to facilitate drug development and provide new drugs at the clinic
TBD-UK: What has been achieved so far?
• New class of anti-TB agent identified (others now integrated into TBD-UK)
• New basic science breakthrough discoveries in drug targets
• IMI-EU framework 7 pre-DICT consortia formed to support “models”
• Working TBD-UK blueprint created to guide all UK research
• Significant UK outreach with 40+ researchers engaged in collaboration
• International outreach via website www.tbd-uk.org.uk
TBD-UK: Conclusion & Future direction
• UK science ready to integrate with DFID & BIS policy to make real impact
• Development of public private partnerships is a key factor
• Dialogue with pharmaceutical industry, MRC, NGOs, Charities and DFID essential to move forward and maximise UK potential
• APPG-TB round table meeting with all parties should be the next step to achieve our common goals in finding new TB drugs