A drug offering a last resort for many patients with extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains unavailable to desperately ill South Africans as the country’s drug regulatory body continues to delay compassionate access. Health-e News Service tells the story of two young South Africans, one who managed to beat the system and accessBedaquiline, the other coming up against a brick wall and fast running out of options to save her life. 

Today, as a result of the round table "Transparency of governmental procurements 2013", Ministry of Health and NGOs have signed a resolution that strengthened the timing of tenders in Ukraine, as well as their transparency. Now tenders for drugs procurements for patients with terminal diseases will be announced no later than February 28th of the current year, and civic activists and patients will have access to all stages of the tender process.

UCT's Assoc Prof Mark Hatherill is leading a study that will test the safety and immunogenicity of a new TB vaccine, MVA85A, on newborns of HIV-positive mothers.

Analysis of health R&D pipeline shows important progress, but significant gaps in innovation remain

Lanner today announced that the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has deployed Lanner WITNESS as the basis of a tool to model health systems that are set to fight the spread of tuberculosis across Tanzania.

Nearly 1.5 million people die from tuberculosis every year, even though most cases can be cured with routine antibiotic treatments. One country’s fight to get the ancient scourge under control has an unlikely hero: a simple diagnostic test.

The TB Trials Consortium recently announced that it had enrolled its first participant in TBTC Study 33, an evaluation of the self-administration of a 12-dose latent tuberculosis infection regimen.

The Zimbabwean government has shown signs of embracing nanotechnology, earmarking it for extensive funding from the science ministry's 2013 budget for new programmes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) symptom screening algorithm for tuberculosis had low sensitivity in identifying TB among South African HIV patients, especially those taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). The findings have implications for starting isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT).

A clinical trial will examine an investigational drug’s (AZD5847) early bacteria-killing activity in patients newly diagnosed with drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis, including individuals who are also infected with HIV but not yet taking antiretroviral treatmen.