NEW DELHI, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A molecule discovered by researchers in India is being developed into a new medication that could cure tuberculosis faster than current therapies.
Kapil Sibal, India'a science and technology minister, said the molecule -- called LL 4858-SUBOTERN -- was developed by a public-private partnership between the Centre for Science and Industrial Research and Lupin Ltd. of Bombay.
The Hindustan Times reported Sibal told reporters: "It is a day of pride for us Indians. The discovery will help reduce treatment time (for tuberculosis) from six or eight months to only two months."
Drug Controller General Ashwini Kumar said the drug still would require human clinical testing before it can be widely used.
A spokesman for Lupin told the paper, "LL 4858-SUBOTERN has undergone extensive preclinical studies and has the potential to cure tuberculosis infections in a shorter period as against the existing six to 12 month therapy."
The new molecule reportedly also is effective against multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis.
