Molecular diagnostics and potential therapeutic options for mycobacterium tuberculosis: Where we stand

•Tuberculosis (TB) along with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and malaria rank among the top three fatal infectious diseases which pose threat to global public health, especially in middle and low income countries.•Each year the global death tally spikes 1.5 million, and additional 10 million new cases of TB.•There is an urgent need for new and better drugs to treat TB due to lengthy and complex treatment regimens and a rising problem of drug resistance.•Using different approaches, a number of promising compound series have been discovered.•This review highlights recent advances in TB drug discovery, including an overview of screening campaigns, lessons learned and future directions.