Drug commonly used to treat gastric issues may be useful in tuberculosis

According to new research from academia, a drug commonly used to treat gastric issues could potentially be useful in targeting the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB).

The researchers, from the University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, evaluated three proton pump inhibitors and incidence of TB in a cohort of patients from the UK. All patients evaluated were new users of either lansoprazole, omeprazole, or pantoprazole. It was found that patients taking lansoprazole were a third less likely to develop TB — the other two drugs had no activity.

“It would be a major breakthrough to find a new drug with useful activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a favourable side effect profile — particularly a drug like lansoprazole, which costs pennies,” said first author Dr Tom Yates (UCL Institute for Global Health). “Laboratory, animal and now epidemiological data are all consistent with lansoprazole acting against the bacteria that cause TB. While it is too early to say whether lansoprazole can be used to treat TB, we think there is a strong case for further study.”

“We know that medications can have unintended effects; often these are harmful, but occasionally we also find unexpected benefits that may offer new hope for difficult to treat diseases,” added senior author Dr Ian Douglas, associate professor of pharmacoepidemiology, Electronic Health Records Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “This study highlights how we can investigate possible new uses for medicines using the wealth of information recorded as part of routine healthcare in the UK. Tuberculosis is still a major health problem in many parts of the world, and the results of this study raise the possibility that lansoprazole, a well-established treatment for stomach complaints, may also be useful for treating tuberculosis.”

The study, published in PLOS Medicine, was funded by Wellcome, the Medical Research Council, GlaxoSmithKline and the National Institute of Health Research.