ERA4TB is helping to change how new tuberculosis treatments are developed -bringing together leading researchers, universities, pharmaceutical companies, public health experts and global health partners to accelerate progress against one of the world’s most fatal infectious diseases.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health challenge. Although it is preventable and curable, TB continues to affect millions of people each year, and drug-resistant TB poses a growing threat to public health. Current treatment can be long and complex, particularly for people with drug-resistant disease, creating an urgent need for shorter, safer and more effective treatment regimens.
The European Regimen Accelerator for Tuberculosis (ERA4TB) was established to address this need. Launched in 2020 as a large public-private partnership, the project brings together more than 30 organisations from across Europe and beyond, combining expertise in drug discovery, preclinical development, clinical research, modelling, data science and policy.
Accelerating new treatment regimens
Developing new TB treatments has traditionally been a slow, stepwise process, with new drugs often tested and added to regimens one at a time. ERA4TB takes a different approach. The consortium has created an open, collaborative platform designed to evaluate multiple drug candidates and combinations in parallel, helping promising molecules move more efficiently from early research towards clinical evaluation.
This “parallel pipeline” approach brings together advanced laboratory models, in vivo and in vitro studies, pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling, data integration and early-phase clinical development. By using a shared platform, standardised methods and cross-sector collaboration, ERA4TB aims to reduce duplication, strengthen evidence generation and support faster decision-making in TB drug development.
Why ERA4TB matters
The need for innovation in TB treatment is clear. Long treatment courses can be difficult for patients to complete, and incomplete or ineffective treatment can contribute to antimicrobial resistance. For people affected by drug-resistant TB, treatment may be even longer, more burdensome and harder to access.
ERA4TB matters because it is not only advancing individual drug candidates; it is also building a more efficient model for TB regimen development. The project is creating shared scientific infrastructure, generating high-quality data and strengthening
collaboration between sectors that all have a role to play in ending TB. Its work supports the wider global ambition to end the TB epidemic and contributes to the broader fight against antimicrobial resistance.
As ERA4TB enters its final phase, the project is focused on sharing its results, sustaining its platform and ensuring that the knowledge, tools and collaborations developed through the consortium continue to support future TB research. Beyond its immediate scientific outputs, ERA4TB’s legacy lies in demonstrating how large, multidisciplinary partnerships can accelerate progress against urgent global health challenges.
Together, ERA4TB partners are helping to move TB treatment development towards a faster, more collaborative and patient-centred future. Two recent publications from the ERA4TB consortium focused on In vitro characterization of GSK2556286 in combination with bedaquiline and pretomanid against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the Use of hollow fiber systems to model treatment of infections: A practical guide. For more information on recent publications check out our publications page.
