Purdue Center Takes on North American Battle Against Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Business Wire, Dec 13, 2007

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has a new challenger, a center in the Purdue Research Park that became the sole North American producer of a potent antibiotic.

The drug, Seromycin[R], had been developed earlier by Eli Lilly and Co., which, in turn, gave the park's Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy & Contract Manufacturing the exclusive rights to manufacture, distribute and sell the drug.

The partnership is part of a $135 million effort by Lilly to combat tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis around the world.

"The Chao Center is one of 14 organizations in five continents committed to the Lilly partnership to help combat this daunting disease," said Iain Richardson, director of contract manufacturing for Lilly.

Partners serving patients outside North America include Aspen Pharmacare in Africa; Harvard University and Partners in Tomsk, Russia; Hisun Pharmaceutical, China; Shasun Chemical and Drugs in India; TB Alert in the United Kingdom; the World Health Organization; and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"While multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is not common in North America, it is escalating around the world and knocking on our front doors. In the past few months the United States has experienced at least two high-profile cases of this life-threatening disease," said Joseph B. Hornett, the senior vice president, COO and treasurer of the Purdue Research Foundation, which owns and operates the Chao Center.

Last summer, an Atlanta lawyer was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and, following flights to France and Greece, went into quarantine. On Nov. 16, Honolulu police placed a Wahiawa man with tuberculosis in isolation in a local hospital at the request of the Hawaiian Department of Health.

In the United States more than 500 cases of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis were diagnosed in 2006, and there are more than 9,000 diagnosed cases. About 60 percent of the cases were in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

Multidrug resistant tuberculosis is highly contagious and difficult to treat. The illness strikes about 450,000 people each year, with the highest rates of prevalence in China, India, South Africa and the countries of the former Soviet Union. According to the World Health Organization, 8.8 million cases of tuberculosis were reported worldwide in 2005.