In January 2009, the TB Alliance had 16 drug projects underway, either in either discovery or clinical or phase. Part of the TB Alliance’s stated mission is to ensure that any new treatments are affordable and accessible in the [[developing world]], and that they are adopted as soon as they become available. Pricing terms are included in all licensing contracts and end products are designed to be easy to take. The TB Alliance also collaborates with national and international partners, working to ensure that new therapies are adopted and accessible to [[healthcare provider]]s and patients via local channels.
==Drug resistance==
Drug resistance occurs for several reasons, often as a natural consequence of gene mutations and selection, as a consequence of drug-efflux mechanisms, or due to drug modifying enzymes. Under conditions of medical treatment, mutants that are resistant to the drug may escape the drug's action, survive and multiply further. This is one of the reasons why combination therapies are often essential for treating tuberculosis infections and most infectious diseases. At the present time, three of even four tuberculosis drugs are given as a combination therapy, over an extended period of time, though patient compliance and side effects continue to be a medical issue. Some strains of the tuberculosis pathogen are resistant to all three or four tuberculosis drugs. In view of the contagious nature of tuberculosis, especially among persons with weak immunity, drug resistance is considered to be a serious public health issue.
