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Innovation to tackle new form of an ancient disease – multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)

>Visit project pages: MDR-TB Scale up, Strategic Rotating Stockpile, Expand TB; First-Line TB

Challenge:

Most of the estimated 500,000 annual cases of MDR-TB are not diagnosed or treated. The market is small for the special treatment course to cure MDR-TB – this leads to higher costs and longer lead times. First-line treatments are also needed to prevent the spread of MDR-TB.

Response:

Scale-up access to MDR-TB testing and treatment; use a “Strategic Rotating Stockpile” of 5,800 MDR-TB treatments to avoid stock outs; provide first-line treatments needed to prevent spread of MDR-TB.

Results:

  • Over 10,000 MDR-TB treatments provided to 14 high burden countries.
  • Thirteen low-income, high-burden TB countries now have fully functioning laboratories using state-of-the-art Line Probe Assay tests to detect drug-resistance and start appropriate treatment. Over 4,000 MDR TB cases have been detected using these facilities.
  • 785,080 first-line treatments delivered to 19 countries to prevent treatment interruptions to countries facing stock-outs.

 
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Bimal Khatri takes up to 18 pills a day to tackle his case of MDR-TB. UNITAID funding in Nepal allows him and many others to access these otherwise unaffordable drugs for free. Click above to read his story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Implementing partners

partners