Tuberculosis Drug: Prevacid May 'Treat TB,' Says Scientists

The seriousness of Tuberculosis (TB) could not be stressed any further. It mainly affects the lungs and the bacteria causing TB are considered contagious. Tiny droplets in the air containing the bacteria can be released through coughing or sneezing, WebMD documents.

In spite of medical interventions and efforts since the 1950s, TB is a main concern in any part of the globe as it is considered a global pandemic, second to AIDS. Tuberculosis continues to affect millions of people, with infections and fatalities every year.

Recently, in a school in El Paso, West Texas, alone, thirty-five students and staff were tested positive for TB, Foxnews reports. In 2014, a total of 44 tuberculosis cased were documented in the El Paso area. Another round of testing of 40 children and a hundred adults is expected to commence in the coming days. Considering that those tested positive are almost at par with last year's numbers, it is already a cause of alarm.

Currently, many tuberculosis strains resist the drugs that are mostly used for treatment. Those who are diagnosed must take a lot of medications within a span of time to remove the infection.

There may be hope as in a study published in an issue of Nature Communications, scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EFPL) identified an unlikely anti-tuberculosis drug called Lansoprazole or commonly known as the over-the-counter antacid, Prevacid, according to the DailyMail. 

Lansoprazole, classified as a type of "proton-pump inhibitor," is used to treat heartaches and ulcers by regulating acid in the stomach.

EFPL scientists developed a strategy to fasten drug development, as opposed to months of manual research and testing. Scientists screen a number of drugs that are approved already, one of these is Lansoprazole. Using a robotized system, scientists will input to cultured lung cells affected with M. Tuberculosis the candidate drugs to test resistance. In this method, the scientists at EFPL identified Prevacid as a drug with one of the highest potential to become an anti-tuberculosis medication.

Lansoprazole is only found to be effective against M. Tuberculosis when the bacterium grows inside the cells. Human cells normally converts the bacterium into a sulfur-containing metabolite, which would then target a particular enzyme crucial for the bacterium to produce energy. The Lansoprazole was seen to have the potential to kill the bacterium before it can produce its own energy. Moreover, when tested against a wide bacteria range, the drug is highly selective against M. Tuberculosis.