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Global effort to develop TB drug

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The ‘Open Drug Discovery Programme’, a CSIR-led initiative to provide affordable healthcare to the developing world, was formally launched for global participation at the 13th Human Genome Meeting here on Sunday.

The programme will initially seek to develop a new drug for tuberculosis, which claims 5,000 lives a day. At the launch, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Director-General Samir Brahmachari said it was aimed at finding cure for the disease. The Centre had sanctioned $ 38 million and released $ 12 million for the purpose.

Pointing out that drug resistance to TB was found world over, he said it was not a “hot property” for business interests as the total trade was worth only around $ 300 million. While an equal number of people died of cancer and TB, only six drugs were under consideration for the latter against 400 for cancer.

Prof. Brahmachari said it was an obligation of genomic community to take up the initiative since micro bacterium genome was sequenced 10 years ago. As part of the initiative, an international collaborative centre for affordable healthcare would be operated with government, international and philanthropic funding.

He indicated that the open source of pharmacogenomics would be extended to a broad spectrum of antibiotics and treatment of ailments like epilepsy.

The initiative would allow students, researchers, scientists, doctors, the private sector or any one interested to participate in the drug discovery process by harnessing the power of Internet.

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