AstraZeneca: Response to TB CAB, CRAG, TAG open letter
AstraZeneca's response to open letter expressing concern for its departure from tuberculosis and urging the company to ensure continued investment in the field.
On February 13, 2014 the Global Tuberculosis Community Advisory Board (TB CAB), the Community Research Advisors Group to the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (CRAG) and the Treatment Action Group (TAG) sent an open letter to AstraZeneca expressing concern over the cessation of the company’s Neglected Tropical Diseases, Tuberculosis and Malaria program.
The letter urged AstraZeneca to continue the development of compound AZD5847 for tuberculosis (TB) and called upon the company to formally commit dedicated resources, sufficient to advance AZD5847 and other candidates for TB through clinical trials to registration and use in the field (provided safety and efficacy data continue to warrant advancement). AZD5847 has been identified as a possible new treatment for drug-susceptible TB and/or for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
In their response, AstraZeneca indicates that the company remains committed to advancing its AZD5847 program as quickly as possible and that it continues to invest in the compound’s development. However, the company states once again that it is ceasing its in-house early-stage research program in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Tuberculosis and Malaria. They commit only to continuing to share compounds and expertise through open innovation partnerships. AstraZeneca specifies that the timelines of the Phase IIa trial (AZD5847 is currently at this development stage) are determined by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) as the main sponsor of the trial.
You can download AstraZeneca's response to the open letter from here.
