The Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens (CPTR) initiative, a collaboration launched by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Critical Path Institute, and TB Alliance that aims to speed the development of improved drug regimens for tuberculosis (TB), has announced the expansion of the initiative to include aiding and enabling the development of new rapid tests to determine drug susceptibility. This initiative will become the fourth principle focus area of CPTR, joining the Research Resources Group, Drugs Coalition, and Regulatory Science consortium. Together, these key pillar focus areas will help to facilitate the rapid development and introduction of new TB drug regimens.

A review of medicines to treat TB, including both existing products and emerging technologies with the potential to improve treatment.

12 September 2013 – With a $15 billion investment over the next three years, the global community can make huge strides towards defeating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria – saving both missions of dollars and millions of lives, according to a new report by the United Nations-backed fund to fight the pandemics.

The World Health Organization, The Union, the Stop TB Partnership, USAID, CDC, the Treatment Action Group and UNICEF will launch a roadmap outlining the path towards zero deaths from childhood tuberculosis.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – September 10, 2013 – Certara™, a leading provider of software and scientific consulting services to improve productivity and decision-making from drug discovery through drug development, today announced that it is partnering with the Critical Path Institute (“C-Path”) to develop a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of the human lung. Built to work in conjunction with Certara’s Simcyp™ Population-based Simulator, the model will be used to predict the disposition of drugs within the lungs and the potential impact of disease-progression on drug kinetics at different stages of tuberculosis (TB) infection.

UNITAID, which buys three fourth of its total quantity medicines from India for its global programmes, is wooing India to become a contributing member and enter its board to make a difference for the developing world.

“It is well understood,” this paper from Yale’s Global Health Justice Partnership begins, “that patent protection increases the price of medicines and thereby decreases access to them.”

Tuberculosis and, in particular, drug-resistant forms of the disease have long been a burden on many countries in Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation is no exception. A video recently produced by Channel 4 News in the UK highlights the growing problem that the country has with multidrug-resistant TB in the general population but also in children and in prisons.

Largest ever roll-out of GeneXpert® rapid TB test machines in 21 countries will help halt spread of drug-resistant TB and save 62,000 lives.

BARCELONA -- Few tuberculosis-exposed people ever develop an active infection, but family members in the home are most at risk -- old wisdom affirmed by modern methods in a European contact-tracing study.