About 450,000 Estimated to Have Drug-resistant TB Globally
Worried by this high burden, the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility (GDF), has announced a 55 percent price reduction for bedaquiline, a critical drug used to treat drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) to increase access to the life-saving drug.
The new reduced bedaquiline prices – secured through an open, competitive tender and valid through December 2024, include, Johnson & Johnson: US$130 per six-month treatment course; Lupin: US$194 per six/month treatment course.
These new bedaquiline prices are available to the vast majority of low and middle-income countries and reflect a 55 per cent and 33 per cent price decrease for Johnson & Johnson and Lupin, respectively, compared to the previous price of US$289 for a six-month treatment course of bedaquiline.
Speaking during a virtual press conference yesterday, the Executive Director, Stop TB Partnership. Dr. Lucica Ditiu, said that the rise in drug-resistant TB was a huge threat to the fight against TB, adding that every year, about 300,000 people with drug-resistant TB remain missed by the health services, therefore potentially spreading the infection.”
According to her, the price reduction is a momentous breakthrough in the fight to end TB and it is especially timely in the leadup to the UN High-Level Meeting on TB to be held in New York in September.”
She added that GDF estimated that its lower bedaquiline prices will generate US$8 million in savings over the 16-month contract period, an amount sufficient to procure more than 51,000 additional bedaquiline treatments and potentially support thousands more people to access critical treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Also speaking, Dr “Atul Gawande, Assistant Administrator of USAID’s Global Health Bureau, USAID stated that no one should have to suffer from drug-resistant tuberculosis simply because they cannot afford treatment stressing that the historic price reduction will broaden access to this life-saving drug and keep us on the path to end TB by 2030.”
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On her part, the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility Chief, Dr. Brenda Waning, said that the price reduction marks the culmination of several years of collaborative effort across numerous stakeholders, including the United States Agency for International Development, Stop TB, the World Health Organization,
The Global Fund, pharmaceutical manufacturers, national TB programs and others to build a competitive bedaquiline market able to deliver quality-assured, affordable bedaquiline to low- and middle-income countries.”
Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Programme observed that the drug price reduction will significantly increase access to treatment for those who are in need, especially in countries with a high burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis This will help save lives and help accelerate the progress towards achieving the End TB Strategy targets.”
The National Coordinator, National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP), Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, observed that Nigeria is a high DR-TB burden Country housing about 15,000 DR-TB cases each year and the identified cases are increasing yearly.
He said, “This drop in price is coming in the very right moment for us, as we plan to further increase the treatment coverage rate of DR-TB in the country starting from identifying about 6000 cases in 2024.
“However, we still have the challenge of financial gap required to treat the expected huge number to be identified in the TB response. I know am not speaking just for myself, but for all leaders of TB programmes in the world.”
In Nigeria, quantifying and costing for medicines for the number of DR-TB patients expected to be put on treatment each year is a huge challenge as it takes up a significant proportion of the annual resources despite the fact that the number of patients identified were between 2000 to 3000 annually.”
SOURCE: The Guardian
