Research and Development of anti tuberculosis medicines

     Dr. Mario Drisun (Health Minister of Santa Fe Province and LIF’s Chairman) participated in a press conference where LIF and UNL presented the project “Research and Development of anti tuberculosis medicines”.
     Dr. Albor Cantar (UNL’s Rector) and Eng. Carlos Arques (LIF’s Directors) also participated in the conference together with Dr. Drisun.
     The meeting took place at LIF’s headquarters where different UNL’s authorities, project’s members; LIF’s Directors and Managers, journalists and other health’s authorities were present.
     Through this project LIF and UNL* are going to research and develop four medicines for the treatment of tuberculosis:
-Rifampicin + Isoniazid + Pyrazinamide (triple association).
- Ethambutol.
- Rifampin + Isoniazid (double association).
- Isoniazid.
     “The meeting between LIF and UNL is an excellent strategy and an authentic example of state policy”, says Mario Drisun.
     “We want to produce these medicines in three years. In this way, we are going to achieve a solution for the National Government and mainly for all the patients in Argentina”, says Carlos Arques.

The Project
     The project is going to have a final investment of $39.000.000.
     BID(1) is going to support/finance $23.000.000 while LIF-UNL Consortium(2) is going to finance $16.000.000.
     LUC (2) is going to build a new development, quality control and production areas at LIF.

Tuberculosis today in Argentina
      Every year between 800 and 1000 people die from tuberculosis in Argentina.
     It is the second cause of death by infectious diseases and it has a high impact in vulnerable groups of the population.
     Many death are because people don’t respect the treatment. Many patients start the treatment but then they don’t finish it (10 - 20% in Argentina).

(*) UNL: Universidad Nacional del Litoral
(1) BID: IDB, Interamerican Development Bank.
(2) LIF- UNL Consortium (LUC) is an associative consortium between two public institutions through which the public production of medicines (LIF) take the knowledge from the national technological scientific system (UNL).