SYDNEY, March 25 (UPI) -- Australian medical scientists say they have made a discovery that might lead to the first new drug treatment for tuberculosis in nearly 50 years.
The researchers at Sydney's Centenary Institute, led by Nick West, said they are studying the genetics of tuberculosis with the goal of reducing the impact of one of the deadliest diseases in the world.
"When someone is infected with TB they either become sick immediately or the disease stays inactive, latent. Unfortunately, the antibiotics we use to fight TB aren't effective against latent TB and can only be used when the disease becomes active. This is a major problem as 1 out of 10 people who have latent TB will develop the active disease, becoming sick and contagious."
Now, West and his team say they've developed a drug that could cure TB in the latent stage and might become the first new treatment for TB since 1962.
"We have investigated a protein that is essential for TB to survive and we have had some success in developing a drug that will inhibit this protein," West said. "Our goal over the coming months is to find out the full extent of this drug's potential."
The discovery was announced Wednesday to coincide with World TB Day.
