Key challenges in TB drug discovery: A perspective.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Drug Development

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of infectious disease mortality globally.
• Despite recent R&D recovery, TB drug development has historically faced neglect.
• There is a critical need for improved therapies against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB strains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline primary obstacles in developing new TB medications.
• To discuss approaches for overcoming TB drug development challenges.
• To aid medicinal chemists in creating novel anti-TB drug candidates.

Main Methods:

• This perspective synthesizes information on the TB drug development pipeline.
• It reviews common challenges encountered from compound identification to clinical stages.
• It explores strategies to facilitate the progression of potential TB drugs.

Main Results:

• Hundreds of potential anti-TB compounds are identified annually, but very few reach clinical development.
• Significant obstacles exist in translating preclinical findings into viable clinical treatments.
• Renewed R&D efforts show promise but require focused strategies to overcome attrition.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the bottlenecks in TB drug development is crucial for combating the global TB epidemic.
• Understanding and mitigating development challenges can accelerate the delivery of new TB therapies.
• This work aims to guide medicinal chemists toward more effective TB drug discovery and development.