Immuno-modulatory drugs: A rapid way to combat the tuberculosis

Abstract

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) epidemics pose a potential threat to global health and are defined by higher morbidity and mortality, sequelae, cost, and complexities. Previously, it has been evidenced that establishing a new drug regimen containing 2–3 new effective drugs may take around 30 years and will be cost-effective. Due to these limitations, drug repurposing has become critical, and the repurposing of existing drugs, licensed for other diseases is the broad alternative for DR-TB treatment. Thus, immunomodulatory drugs are an alternative approach to combat the deadly infectious disease, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These repurposed drugs target many pathways, and also reduce the risk of acquiring resistance. In this review, we discussed some of the immunomodulatory drugs, and their effectiveness to combat TB.