The StatinTB clinical study has further advanced over the last year. In the meeting, Dr Friedrich Thienemann from the University of Zurich presented achievements related to the recruitment of study participants and clinical trial implementation. This also includes an extension of the recruitment sites and of the clinical research trial site, which now also comprises infection control setup.

StatinTB Coordinator Dr Reto Guler from the University of Cape Town (UCT) presented an update on the clinical samples collected and on preliminary results of his team’s analyses of the samples.

Dr Emmanuel Nepolo from the University of Namibia (UNAM) and Dr Gunar Günther from Inselspital Bern presented an update on capacity building activities for the UNAM Medical School in the fifth project year. These activities included clinical research and laboratory training for UNAM staff conducted by experts from UCT, and the official inauguration of a BSL-3 laboratory at UNAM by the German Ambassador to Namibia.

The meeting concluded with an overview of different presentations of the StatinTB trial and laboratory analyses at several national and international conferences.

The progress meeting demonstrated that the StatinTB project is well on track and has the potential to make an impact in the field of host-directed drug therapy in tuberculosis, which is also demonstrated by a WHO Endorsement for StatinTB, which was awarded in October 2023 due to the project’s high relevance to the goals of the WHO’s End TB strategy.