With one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) incidences (368 cases/100,000 population) in the African region, Mozambique is particularly affected by the TB epidemic. Drug-resistant TB is also a major problem, with 4,800 new cases of multidrug resistant (MDR)/rifampicin-resistant TB in the country estimated in 2021.

13 November 2023 | Geneva -- In advance of the World Diabetes Day, which is marked on November 14, WHO is highlighting the need for equitable access to essential care for people affected by diabetes and tuberculosis (TB). Equitable access to care is essential to ending TB, as highlighted in WHO’s End TB Strategy and reinforced in the political declarations of the United Nations high-level meetings on the fight against TB in 2018 and 2023. According to the 2023 WHO Global TB Report, diabetes is one of the key determinants of TB, with just under 400,000 TB episodes attributable to diabetes worldwide. People with diabetes are at higher risk of developing TB and are more likely to experience poor TB treatment outcomes, including death. This emphasises the need for ensuring access to comprehensive care for people affected by both diabetes and TB.

Macleods becomes second pharmaceutical manufacturer to bring pretomanid supply to market and first since the World Health Organization issued updated DR-TB treatment guidelines.

Researchers at Tulane have developed a new and rapid test that can detect both HIV and tuberculosis at the same time with just a small amount of blood.

ISLAMABAD and PRETORIA (9 November 2023)—The Association for Social Development (ASD) has registered 206 participants with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in Pakistan through a pilot program for treatment with new regimens recently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), known as BPaL/M – combinations of bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid, with or without moxifloxacin. ASD reported that out of 113 treatment outcomes declared, so far 105 (95%) have been successful—matching the success rates found elsewhere in the world with these new regimens and a drastic improvement over results with prior drug-resistant TB therapies. As an outcome of these positive results, Pakistan has updated its treatment guidelines for DR-TB to enable the use of these six-month, all-oral regimens.

The World Health Organization launches a call for experts to serve as members of the Civil Society Task Force on TB. Deadline to apply: 23 November 2023.

The Stop TB Partnership launches a call for nominations for the Community Award 2023 under the theme - Serving the most vulnerable: Increasing access to TB services for key and vulnerable populations. Deadline for nominations: 1 December 2023.

The UNITE4TB Consortium is proud to announce the start of its phase 2B/C clinical trial program. The announcement is a major milestone for the project and the TB community as a whole, helping to advance TB science and enhance the efficiency with which new treatments are delivered.

STREAM Stage 2 study data submitted as part of Type II Variation to European Medicines Agency and supplemental New Drug Application to U.S. FDA aim to support the full and traditional approval in the European Union and U.S., respectively.

Despite significant recovery in 2022, progress is insufficient to meet global TB targets set in 2018 with disruptions caused by the pandemic and ongoing conflicts being major contributing factors.