New research in the United Kingdom suggests that an inexpensive and commonly used drug named lansoprazole, intended to treat heartburn, gastritis and ulcers, has the potential to target Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, it was reported yesterday.

It was discovered through the research that people who used the product were a third less likely to get tuberculosis than those on similar drugs, omeprazole or pantoprazole.

The research was conducted by University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and its findings were published in PLOS Medicine journal. It was financed by Wellcome, the Medical Research Council, and GlaxoSmithKline. The researchers studied data that was collected routinely by general practices and hospitals across the United Kingdom to compare the tuberculosis occurrence in 527,364 new users of lansoprazole and 923,500 new users of omeprazole or pantoprazole.