Archita Mishra and other researchers from IISc found that a FDA-approved asthma drug can be used for treating TB. Laboratory studies found the drug to be more effective in curtailing the growth of TB bacteria when used alone and in combination with anti-TB drugs — rifampicin and isoniazid. The drug was also able to prevent the bacteria from causing inflammation thereby proving to be more potent in killing the microbes. In mice models too the drug was effective in killing the TB bacteria both when used alone and in combination with rifampicin.