A coalition of public and private sector partners, including United Nations entities, non-governmental organizations and a private equity firm, launched SDG500, a new investment platform to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting.

The Stop TB Partnership released its December 2019 newsletter, presenting the initiatives and activities carried out during the month. It features highlights from the last Stop TB Partnership Board meeting, held on 11-12 December 2019 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility officially launched the Pediatric Drug-Resistant TB (DR-TB) Initiative aimed at ending the disease by increasing the access of child-friendly DR-TB treatments to children who need them, wherever they are in the world.

The report — Tuberculosis Research Funding Trends, 2005–2018 — presents new data on funding for TB research and development in 2018 and analyzes trends in spending since 2005.

The updated Global Plan calls for 2.6 billion USD per year for vital research and development of new TB diagnostic tools, new drug regimens and a new vaccine, and 13 billion USD per year for TB care and prevention.

05 December 2019 I Geneva, Switzerland – The Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility (GDF) has expanded its Diagnostics Catalog by adding an IGRA (interferon-gamma release assay) test for latent TB infection. The products required to run the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) IGRA are now available at a GDF-negotiated price of $15.90 per test by the manufacturer Qiagen (Hilden, Germany). This price is offered to any public sector or not-for-profit buyer in low- and middle-income countries when procuring through GDF.

The Stop TB Partnership interactive mapping TB tool is now LIVE.

The End Tuberculosis Transmission Initiative of the Stop TB Partnership released two technical information sheets on how to use respirators to protect against TB transmission.

The Stop TB Partnership released an overview of its participation in the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health (The Union Conference).

Stop TB Partnership launches online consultation on the draft Global Plan to End TB 2018-2022; Deadline for submissions: 6 November 2019