Lupin Ltd's talks with Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) for funding of the company's new anti-TB research project has failed, according to senior company officials. The disagreement over the rights of the molecule has been the reason for the failure, they added.

Lupin had been in talks with TB Alliance ever since it came out with promising new molecules on TB, which the company developed along with CSIR. It is learnt that the company was expecting funds worth $ 60-70 million from the Alliance for conducting anti-TB research on new molecules.

"Global Alliance wanted to keep with them exclusive developmental rights of the molecule under development, which was unacceptable to Lupin. The company has decided for now to complete clinical trials on its own, with assistance from the government. The company would like to keep the rights with itself," said a senior company official.

In December 2004, the DCGI gave its approval to the company for conducting Phase I clinical trials on its anti-TB molecule LL 4858 (Sudoterb), which showed good anti-mycobacterial activity against multi drug resistant strains of tuberculosis.

According to analysts tracking pharmaceutical industry, the company will have to spend about Rs 40-50 crore for developing the molecule on its own, if everything goes well.

The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development operates as a not-for-profit, public-private partnership organisation with offices in Brussels, Cape Town, and New York. Launched in October 2000 with the goal of providing new medicines and equitable access to improve treatments for TB, the Global Alliance functions as a lean, virtual R&D organisation that outsources R&D projects to its partners or to industry. Its R&D strategy concentrates on building a portfolio of promising drug candidates and managing that portfolio by initiating cooperative deals with public and private partners. For specific investments, the Global Alliance also considers providing staged funding and expert scientific and management guidance.