Current status and future prospects for new therapies for pulmonary tuberculosis.
OBJECTIVE
Nowadays tuberculosis is becoming a worldwide problem, and according to the World Health Organization, which declared tuberculosis a global health emergency in 1993, each year 8 million people worldwide develop the active disease and almost 3 million die.


RESULTS
Due to this problem there is an urgent need for new strategies and drugs to fight against this disease. In this context, this review describes promising new classes of compounds against tuberculosis that are under study, as well as promising drugs that may soon be introduced onto the market. Another subject reported in this review is inhaled therapy, an important route under study for delivering antitubercular drugs directly to the lungs.


CONCLUSIONS
The implications of new drugs and inhaled therapy in tuberculosis treatment are fewer toxic side-effects, improved pharmacokinetics properties, extensive and potent activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including resistant strains, and a reduction in the total treatment time.
de Souza
Marcus Vinícius Nora
MV
Far-Manguinhos Institute of Drug Technology, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. marcos_souza@far.fiocruz.br
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents