"International financial support aimed at counteracting the world's 'neglected diseases' increased by nearly a half-billion dollars over the past five years, according to new research released Monday, but changing funding dynamics could already be having a negative impact on the development of cures for diseases that affect a substantial proportion of the world's poor," Inter Press Service reports. "While funding for these diseases had begun to pick up, the new Global Funding of Innovation for Neglected Diseases (G-FINDER) report [.pdf] finds that this assistance has decreased again following the international financial crisis," the news service writes, adding, "More worrying, funding for research into these diseases remains highly dependent on a tiny number of players," including the U.S. (Biron, 12/3).

Despite increased investment of nearly $443.7 million in neglected disease R&D between 2007 and 2011, too much of the cash is going on basic research rather than developing desperately-needed drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for the world’s poor.

South Africa has, for the second time in a row, reduced the cost of procurement of antiretrovirals (ARVs) as announced by South African Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on 29 November. ‘As far as we are concerned, South Africa has become the lowest price setter for ARVs in the world’, said Dr Motsoaledi to an excited audience at a packed press conference. The new agreed prices will save an additional US$250 million approximately.

30 November 2012 - Tblisi - The Georgia Tuberculosis Prevention Project (TPP), led by University Research Co., LLC (URC) and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched a new website aimed at providing the latest information on tuberculosis (TB) in Georgia.

The ACTION global health partnership applauds the U.S. Government for its leadership on creating a comprehensive plan to make the end of AIDS a reality, and recognizing the critical role of addressing tuberculosis (TB) to end the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Dr Nils E Billo, has been Executive Director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) since 1992 when it was a very small organization with just about a dozen staff and consultants, who focused on tuberculosis. During this long stint, spanning over two decades, Dr Billo has been instrumental in helping the Union grow from strength to strength—from a fledging federation to a leading international health organisation, with more than 10,000 members in 152 countries, and some 300 staff and consultants working from Paris and other offices in 11 countries. The Union's mandate has expanded and gone beyond tuberculosis and lung disease to include other public health issues as well, such as child lung health, HIV/AIDS, the pandemic of diseases caused by tobacco use and the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this interview, given exclusively to Citizen News Service - CNS at the 43rd Union World Conference on Lung Health, Dr Billo talks about what has changed in the world of TB over this period of twenty years, and the current problems impeding efforts to eradicate this dreaded disease which, despite being curable, takes a huge toll of human lives.

Cape Town - Once upon a time, being HIV-positive in South Africa was like a death sentence, with no adequate treatment available and a huge stigma attached to the disease.

A joint mission of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) to Romania has recommended immediate resumption of BCG (Bacille Calmette–Guérin) vaccination against tuberculosis in infants in the country.

30 November 2012 - London - Last night 108 people gathered at Apothecaries Hall to launch the Sir John Crofton Fund to Fight TB. This new fund - named for the pioneering physician and professor at the University of Edinburgh who developed the "Edinburgh method" of treating TB, using a triple drug combination - will be used to fight TB in the United Kingdom and internationally. The event was organized by the United Kingdom’s national tuberculosis charity TB Alert, which will also manage the new fund.