TB Alliance enters collaboration with Sanofi-Aventis and receives $40M pledge from USAID

French drug major Sanofi-Aventis and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development have entered into a collaboration agreement to accelerate the discovery, development and clinical use of drugs against tuberculosis.

Every year, more than 1.5 million people worldwide die from TB but current treatments are over 40 years old and must be taken for six to nine months for drug-sensitive disease and up to 24 months for drug-resistant forms.

The TB Alliance, which is a not-for-profit product development partnership, has two TB drug candidates in advanced clinical trials and 12 others in its pipeline. Sanofi markets several anti-TB drugs. The firm is also actively researching new therapeutic approaches for TB including new vaccines and drug candidates with new mechanisms of action. Under the terms of the deal, the two organizations will share information on their respective projects and exchange insights on developments in TB drug research. In addition, they will consult with each other on relevant regulatory, access and clinical trial capacity strategies related to developing countries.