If Otsuka had been like other companies at the time, these young researchers would have also given up. They were also new to the field and had no clinical successes to show for their work. But because of the suffering they saw in other Asian countries nearby, they knew that one new treatment option would not be enough to help the millions of people who were dying of TB every year.

They had the vision and the foresight to recognize that TB is an extremely tenacious pathogen that finds new ways to attack the human body and resists many forms of antibiotics.

Because TB bacteria are so resilient, patients must take a regimen of several different medicines for anything from six months to a year. In the case of drug-resistant strains such as multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)^*, treatment often takes twice as long.

This led Otsuka researchers to contemplate a completely different way of attacking the MDR-TB problem.
With conventional drugs having limited efficacy, what if there was a way to chemically modify an effective, but highly potent substance, to make it safe? This thinking was outside the realm of established approaches to drug synthesis but is ultimately what led to the creation of a new and revolutionary class of TB drugs.

• Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB): A strain of M. tuberculosis which is resistant to the drugs rifampicin and isoniazid.

Today, Otsuka remains committed to continuing its efforts in TB research and development. Recognized by the Treatment Action Group, a leading HIV/AIDS and TB advocacy group, as the largest private funder of TB R&D, Otsuka is helping deliver innovative solutions for the global TB challenge.

Tackling TB requires a coordinated effort from private industry, governments, patients, healthcare professionals, NGOs & advocates, and many others.

Otsuka is pleased to be able to work with so many partners around the world, and although we've come a long way since 1971, today is only the beginning.