Tagged: Tuberculosis

Researchers are disappointed in the results of a long-awaited study of the leading candidate vaccine against tuberculosis, one of humankind's most elusive scourges.

But, pointing to more than a dozen other TB vaccines in the pipeline, they say they're not discouraged.

The people on the front lines of tuberculosis control have their hands full, but their biggest challenge for the moment may be containing strains of the disease that are resistant to drugs.

Worldwide the number of TB cases is going down. The bad news is that the number of drug-resistant cases is going up. The World Health Organization estimates that the number of reported TB cases that were multi, extremely- or totally-drug resistant doubled between 2009 and 2011.

The first new tuberculosis drug approved in 40 years by the U.S Food and Drug Administration was tested by scientists at Colorado State University. The FDA has given initially approval this week for the drug bedaquiline to be used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.