Priming the tuberculosis drug pipeline: new antimycobacterial targets and agents.

Claiming close to two million lives each year, tuberculosis is now the leading cause of death from an infectious disease. The rise in number of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains resistant to existing TB drugs has underscored the urgent need to develop new antimycobacterials with novel mechanisms of action. To meet this need, a drug pipeline has been established that is populated with new and repurposed drugs. Recent advances in identifying molecules with inhibitory activity against Mtb under conditions modelled on those encountered during infection, and in elucidating their mechanisms of action, have primed the pipeline with promising drug/target couples, hit compounds and new targets. In this review, we highlight recent advances and emerging areas of opportunity in this field.