Abstract
TB was the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent until the COVID pandemic. The number of people newly diagnosed with TB in 2020 fell by 18% from the previous year due to disruptions to health systems and services caused by the pandemic, with only a partial recovery in 2021. As a result, in 2021, only one in three people with drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) received treatment for the disease.
However, since the onset of the pandemic, more effective and patient-friendly treatments and regimens for adults and children have become available to the TB community. Now more than ever there is a need to accelerate treatment and save more lives.
This Issue Brief – the eighth in this series – by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)’s Access Campaign, examines the current landscape and trends of DR-TB drug pricing and patents, and highlights challenges and opportunities to accelerate people’s access to lifesaving regimens that are shorter, all-oral and make use of the most effective medicines.
