alpibectir

Alpibectir is a novel small molecule developed as an oral adjunctive therapy for tuberculosis (TB), particularly in combination with the antibiotic ethionamide. It acts by targeting bacterial transcriptional regulators, specifically stimulating alternative bioactivation pathways for ethionamide, which results in increased efficacy of ethionamide and overcomes resistance to it. This mechanism allows for lower effective doses of ethionamide, potentially reducing dose-dependent side effects and improving patient compliance. Alpibectir has demonstrated potent activity against multidrug-resistant TB strains, including those resistant to isoniazid. The drug is being developed by BioVersys and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), with contributions from Pasteur Institute Lille and University of Lille. It has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. FDA for use in fixed-dose combination with ethionamide for TB treatment and is currently undergoing Phase 2a clinical trials in pulmonary TB patients[1][2][4][5][6].