Working to Speed the Discovery of New TB Medicines

By David Marbaugh
Mar 24, 2014 4:15 PM ET

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In advance of World TB Day, I had the opportunity to travel to Seattle, Washington, to learn more about our partnership with the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), one of our primary partners in the search for new TB medicines. 

While it rained – it was Seattle, right? – the day was enlightening in many ways. 

In the global fight against TB, one of the areas of greatest need is new medicines. Most current TB medicines are 40-plus years old and have serious side effects. They take too long to work. And the quantity of medicines needed to cure TB is burdensome.  All of this and more makes it challenging for people with TB to comply with their full course of treatment, which can lead to multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

As part of the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, we collaborate with IDRI on early stage discovery efforts for new TB molecules. The goal is to fill the research pipeline with new possibilities – with hope.

Learn more about our early discovery program, and watch a video, in our blog.