Otsuka given $17.8 million for tuberculosis drug trial

Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (TYO: 4578) has been handed a grant for up to $17.8 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the clinical trial of a treatment-shortening regimen in drug-sensitive tuberculosis (TB).

The grant will support advancement of clinical trials of its investigational compound OPC-167832, in combination with Otsuka's Deltyba (delamanid) and Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) Sirturo (bedaquiline) for patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary TB.

Specifically, the grant will support a Phase II trial investigating a novel regimen in shortening the treatment of drug-susceptible TB by comparing the proportion of study subjects receiving the combination therapy for a duration of four months versus the six-month standard of care. Decreasing treatment duration is likely to impact the number of patients treated and improve overall treatment adherence.