Host-directed therapies for multidrug resistant tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) causes 1.3 million deaths annually. There are 0.5 million cases of multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and the number of cases is rising globally. The current status quo of the lengthy treatment duration and poor treatment outcomes associated with MDR/extensively drug-resistant TB, and those with comorbidity of TB with human immunodeficiency virus and noncommunicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa is unacceptable. The TB drug pipeline remains sparse. New innovations for shortening the duration of therapy and improving treatment outcomes (cure and long-term functional disability due to lung damage) are urgently required. A wide range of host-directed therapies (HDT) are now available which require evaluation as adjuncts to current TB drug treatment. Examples are: The Host-directed Therapies Network consortium of 64 partners was launched in Cape Town after a meeting hosted by the South African Medical Research Council in April 2015. This network (which is open to anyone interested) plans to take forward a wide range of HDTs in randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials as adjuncts to current TB treatment regimens with the aims of.