AstraZeneca's response to open letter expressing concern for its departure from tuberculosis and urging the company to ensure continued investment in the field.

AstraZeneca and Cellworks today announced a collaboration supported by the Wellcome Trust to speed the design of novel combination therapies for the treatment of drug-sensitive and resistant tuberculosis. This collaboration will also pave the way for the creation of platforms and approaches to handle Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a condition that is reaching epidemic proportions in many developing parts of the world.