**6. The odyssey ahead**

The geography of tuberculosis has achieved a global dimension with transmigration across the boundaries as a result TB pandemic has taken the world in its clutches thus making it a true global concern. The TB Alliance, a global initiative has embarked an integrated innovative approach to combat and sabotage one of the oldest, deadly, and most resilient enemies of the mankind. At the level of individual it impacts them in the most productive phase of their life thereby sucking their income and decreasing the productivity and thus inflicting a great loss in human capital. On average one person infects fifteen others before finally getting successfully treated; the death statistics is alarming with one death every twenty second. The right to health and hope is one of the fundamental rights that is robbed by this enemy of the mankind. Bill Gates propounded at the World Health Assembly in 2005: "Today, we have tuberculosis drugs you have to take for 9 months. Why can't we find one that works in 3 days?" this is still a dream.

The research arena has also received momentum with the deciphering of the Mycobacterial genome in 1998 coupled with advanced molecular biology tools, structural genomics, target based drug design, high throughput screening, *in silico* experiments, whole cell screening and advanced imaging technologies to study real time changes and system biology platforms coming under one umbrella. The idea now is to leverage on the existing portfolio having more than two dozens of potent molecules and drug regimen in pipeline at various stages of clinical trials. The TB development has galvanized further by the coming together of WHO, TB Alliance and DNDi (Drug for Neglected Disease initiative) sharing a common podium. TDR for research on diseases of poverty has been working under the joint conglomeration of WHO, UNICEF, WORLD BANK and UNDP to address this concern globally. Nelson Mandela commented that "we cannot win the battle against AIDS, if we do not also fight TB; TB is too often a death sentence for people with AIDS". The WHO targets to treat 80% of the MDR-TB patients by 2015 with an estimated cost of \$15 billion. With initiatives at full bloom the scenario looks promising and hopeful in global attempts to address tuberculosis.

The conquest of the Mycobacterium to the mankind needs to be the priority of the synergistic efforts by the scientific community. In nutshell the enemy of humanity needs to be taken in to clutches by innovative approaches from drug development that includes quest for effective molecular scaffolds and their derivatives both old and new as well as reengineering delivery strategies for the drug to penetrate the recalcitrant stubborn microbes. On one hand there are challenges to finding safer, cheap, less toxic, shorter regimen and compatible drugs quickly while on the other the socio economic feasibilities that can deliver these magic bullets to the neediest ones have to be ensured. Revamping the health care system with Government, business houses and NGO's is the need of the hour to combat these perpetrators of human misery from the globe. Wave of optimism exists as we attempt to streamline the drug discovery process together with policy issues, social engineering and outreach initiatives.
