Novartis has signed a licensing deal to hand over its experimental tuberculosis (TB) drugs to the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, joining a growing Big Pharma retreat from antibiotics.
The TB Alliance deal reflects renewed scrutiny of the Novartis portfolio under new chairman Joerg Reinhardt, who is focusing the Swiss company’s research on core areas such as cancer, respiratory drugs, heart failure and dermatology.
While scientists are exploring novel avenues in the hunt for urgently needed new bacteria-fighting medicines, many companies now have little appetite for the chase, preferring to concentrate on more lucrative areas such as cancer and diabetes.
