Agreed. Living in the age of antibiotics we (in the developed world) have quickly forgotten how deadly TB is (it was a leading cause of death just 100 years ag

Agreed. Living in the age of antibiotics we (in the developed world) have quickly forgotten how deadly TB is (it was a leading cause of death just 100 years ago). Given the difficulty in developing new antibiotics (and relative lack of commercial incentive to do so) the news that they've found a more effective new drug combination (including new drugs) is very welcome. The fact that the regimen is shorter will hopefully mean higher completion rates: a big issue at the moment as the treatment can take up to 2 years leading many patients to take incomplete courses (and of course this fuels drug resistance). In Australia we're lucky enough to have the resources to provide free treatment with mandatory monitoring by health care workers (to enforce the full course is taken), but in India, PNG etc they desperately need a cheaper and more practical solution. Edit to add: hopefully new drugs will also help those with sensitivity to the current antibiotics. They have some pretty harsh side effects, e.g. drug-induced hepatitis is a common problem which means many patients can't tolerate the preferred regimen.