Global pharma firm Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday signed an MoU with a Chandigarh-based microbial research body to develop innovative treatments for tuberculosis (TB).

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, scientists from Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) -- part of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) -- and Johnson & Johnson will work to explore more effective, safer and all-oral treatment regimens to tackle multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), as well as new molecular entities to treat all TB patients."We are united with India in our determination to make TB a history," Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement.

"While we have made great advances in recent years... we (want) to increase the potential to achieve major research breakthroughs that can lead to innovative new treatments for the millions of people in India and around the world who suffer from TB," Stoffels added.TB killed nearly half a million people in 2015 alone in India."The partnership with Johnson & Johnson has the potential to accelerate our work in support of India's National Strategic Plan, our accelerated action plan to end TB by 2025, and most importantly save lives," said Anil Koul, Director at CSIR-IMTECH.