WHO stresses urgent need for R&D for drug-resistant TB alongside newly-prioritized antibiotic-resistant pathogens
28 February 2017 | GENEVA - WHO reaffirms the critical need for research and development (R&D) of new antibiotics to tackle the threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB).
“Addressing drug-resistant TB research is a top priority
for WHO and for the world,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO
Director-General. “More than US$ 800 million per year is
currently necessary to fund badly needed research into new
antibiotics to treat TB.”
The MDR-TB public health crisis continues: there were an
estimated 580 000 cases and 250 000 related deaths in 2015. Only
125 000 were started on treatment, and just half of those people
were cured.
Only two new antibiotics to address MDR-TB have completed Phase
IIB trials in the past 50 years. Both are still in Phase
III trials, and more funding will be required to complete the
process and to develop other effective treatment regimens.
On 27 February, WHO published a list of antibiotic-resistant
pathogens that have recently been prioritized as posing great
risk to human health.
“Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium
responsible for human TB, was not included in the scope of the
prioritization exercise as the intention was to identify
previously unrecognised health threats due to increasing
antibiotic resistance. There is already consensus that TB is a
top priority for R&D for new antibiotics,” said Dr
Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General at WHO.
Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Global Tuberculosis
Programme, emphasized that TB R&D of new regimens and
medicines is a top priority for WHO given the increased
political momentum for efforts to end TB. “Drug-resistant
TB and research will be major themes at the first WHO Global
Ministerial Conference on TB, which will be hosted by the
Russian Government in Moscow on 16-17 November 2017. It will
also be a key agenda item at the UN General Assembly high-level
meeting on TB in 2018. We cannot miss these two critical
opportunities to raise support and resources to end TB at
highest political level once and for all,” said Dr
Raviglione.
The BRICS countries in their latest health ministers meeting
held in Delhi last December also highlighted their intention to
“promote innovation and develop appropriate R&D tools
for TB treatment, also in collaboration with the WHO task force
on Global TB research”. Finally, MDR-TB and research needs
are under discussion in wider fora such as those focusing on
antimicrobial resistance and health security.
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