Context
Why an event about Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s biggest global health crises. Killing 1.3 million people in 2022, TB is the world’s second deadliest infectious disease after COVID-19.
Obsolete treatments, the lack of an effective vaccine, and the lack of suitable diagnostic tools make it difficult to control the global TB epidemic. In 2022, 7.5 million people across 192 countries and areas were diagnosed with TB.
Some gains have been made in recent years; the first new TB drugs in half a century and the trial of a shorter course of treatment for drug-resistant TB. But the harsh reality remains - 10.6 million people fell sick with TB and 410,000 developed multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in 2022, which is much harder to treat. Only about one-third of people with DR-TB accessed treatment in 2021. The majority go undiagnosed and therefore untreated.
17,800 People started on TB treatment in MSF programmes in 2022
2,590 People started on drug-resistant TB treatment in MSF programmes in 2022
To know more : https://www.msf.org/tuberculosis
MSF is also actively involved in research projects such as endTB and TACTiC.
Landmark clinical trial redefines multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment option
The endTB partnership between Partners In Health (PIH), MSF and Interactive Research and Development (IRD), with financial support from UNITAID, aims to radically transform the management of multi-drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis. MSF took part in two clinical trials, notably in India, to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of bedaquiline and delamanide, the two new anti-tuberculosis drugs. These clinical trials, endTB and endTB-Q, aimed to determine whether these two drugs, used in new combinations, can shorten the duration of treatment to 6-9 months (whereas the standard treatment for multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is 18-24 months), whether they are simpler to use, and whether they cause fewer side effects than current dosage regimens.
- The results of the endTB clinical trial have found three new drug regimens to treat multidrug-resistant TB.
- The three regimens have shown similar efficacy and safety to standard treatments while reducing treatment time by up to two-thirds.
- Trial results show a fourth regimen could be used effectively for those who cannot tolerate one of two key drugs.
- If recommended by WHO, the new regimens would offer doctors shorter treatment choices for people in many key groups.
To know more
https://www.msf.org/landmark-clinical-trial-redefines-multidrug-resistant-tb-treatment-options
MSF launches unprecedented project to tackle under-diagnosed tuberculosis among children
Tuberculosis (TB) in children is a silent scourge: one child dies of TB every three minutes and more than half of all children with TB are never diagnosed. Taking the opportunity of a set of new recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched a worldwide project aiming to increase the number of children diagnosed with TB as well as improve their treatment experience and prevent new cases.
This unprecedented initiative called "TACTiC" for “Test, Avoid, Cure Tuberculosis in Children” will support projects in implementing these new recommendations in over a dozen countries in Africa and Asia. In addition, the project aims to contribute to knowledge-building through several multi-country studies on the validity and feasibility of the recommendations, while advocating for their widespread implementation and the development of better tools to diagnose TB in children.
To learn more: https://www.msf.org/tuberculosis-msf-launches-unprecedented-project-tackle-underdiagnosis-among-children