With 8.6 million people across the world developing tuberculosis in 2012 and nearly 1.3 million succumbing to the disease, and with the number of people with multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extremely-drug resistant TB (XDR-TB) increasing every year, the focus has been on increasing case-detection and improving treatment rates.

Grania Brigden, TB advisor to the MSF Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, describes how the current drug R&D model is failing TB patients.

The Global Health Innovation and Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) announced that it will invest US$720,000 for early work on a novel vaccine candidate against TB being co-developed by Japan’s Create Vaccine Co., Ltd. and Aeras. The announcement is part of the first round of grants by GHIT Fund, a public-private partnership launched earlier this year that brings together the Japanese Government, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and pharmaceutical companies.  

Abstract

A revolutionary new way of testing for tuberculosis (TB), the GeneXpert can dramatically reduce the time it takes to get a diagnosis for multi-drug resistant TB, but bottlenecks in the health system are making it difficult to get patients on treatment quickly, a study has found.

Through a consultative process with civil society organizations, technical partners and donors, WHO/Europe has recently established the Regional Collaborating Committee on Tuberculosis Control and Care (RCC-TB).

Two young women are proving to the world that the most deadly strain of TB can be beaten.

Early results from a clinical drug trial of a new four-month treatment for tuberculosis (TB) indicate that it is well tolerated, but overall could not be considered as an alternative to current six-month standard treatment. The study – one of the first in 35 years – was presented at the 44^th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris on 3 November by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on behalf of the Gatifloxacin for TB team.

Statens Serum Institut (SSI) and Aeras today announced the initiation of a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for a candidate tuberculosis (TB) vaccine designed to protect people, especially those latently infected with TB, from developing active TB disease.  

Yesterday the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) released a statement by Minister Rob Davies announcing an upcoming conference to discuss issues that emerged in response to the DTI’s call for submission’s on the Draft National Policy on Intellectual Property (IP).