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Expanding access to lifesaving new TB tools | Collections | MSF Science Portal

Many settings with a high burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) lack access to advanced diagnostics and to groundbreaking new treatments. The Collection linked below spotlights work by MSF and collaborators to analyze barriers, identify gaps, and accelerate the roll-out of these tools to people whose lives hang in the balance.

Several reports examine price, regulatory, and patent obstacles that persist despite considerable public investment into developing many of these tools. Other authors examine critical remaining weaknesses in care pathways—especially in screening and diagnosis, and particularly in children. Several studies describe new strategies that could be part of the solution, from a pilot program in Tajikisttan that trains family caregivers to treat children with DR-TB at home, to a person-centered care model adapted to a conflict zone in Afghanistan. Lastly, initial findings demonstrate that pregnant women—another vulnerable population—can be effectively treated for DR- and multidrug-resistant TB, improving maternal outcomes without harming neonates.

Collection Content

Journal Article
|
Short Report

Pregnancy and birth outcomes in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treated with regimens that include new and repurposed drugs

Lotia Farrukh I, Lachenal N, Adenov MM, Ahmed SM, Algozhin Y,  et al.
2024-01-25 • Clinical Infectious Diseases
2024-01-25 • Clinical Infectious Diseases
Among 43 pregnant women receiving multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) treatment with bedaquiline and/or delamanid, 98% had favorable treatment outcomes. Of ...
Journal Article
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Research

Management of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in conflict-affected areas: The case of Iraq

Tesfahun HM, Al-Salihi L, Abdulkareem Al-Ani N, Mankhi AA, Mohammed A,  et al.
2024-01-19 • PLOS One
2024-01-19 • PLOS One
Since December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged National Tuberculosis Programs to deprioritize the use of injectable-containing regimens and roll-out all-oral bed...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Reversing the neglect of children and adolescents affected by tuberculosis

Deborggraeve S, Casenghi M, Hewison CCH, Ditekemena J, Ditiu L,  et al.
2023-09-11 • Lancet Child and Adolescent Health
2023-09-11 • Lancet Child and Adolescent Health
Journal Article
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Commentary

Diagnostics to support the scaling up of shorter, safer tuberculosis regimens

Branigan D, Denkinger CM, Furin J, Heitkamp P, Deborggraeve S,  et al.
2023-07-31 • Lancet Microbe
2023-07-31 • Lancet Microbe
Technical Report
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Policy Brief

DR-TB drugs under the microscope 2022

MSF Access Campaign
2022-11-08
2022-11-08
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 ...
Journal Article
|
Letter

Family directly observed therapy for children with drug-resistant TB

Rekart ML, Morshed T, Mulanda WK, Klieascikova J, Sitali N,  et al.
2022-08-01 • International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
2022-08-01 • International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
Journal Blog
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Perspective

6 months TB treatment for (almost) all

Berry C
2022-05-10 • PLoS Blogs
2022-05-10 • PLoS Blogs
Journal Article
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Commentary

Recently developed drugs for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis: a research and development case study

Perrin C, Athersuch K, Elder G, Martin M, Alsalhani A
2022-04-19 • BMJ Global Health
2022-04-19 • BMJ Global Health
Two drugs with novel mechanisms of action, the diarylquinoline bedaquiline and the nitroimidazole delamanid—as well as pretomanid from the same class of drugs as delamanid—have recently ...
Journal Article
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Research

Person-centred care and short oral treatment for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis improve retention in care in Kandahar, Afghanistan

Mesic A, Ishaq S, Khan WH, Mureed A, Mar HT,  et al.
2022-01-03 • Tropical Medicine and International Health
2022-01-03 • Tropical Medicine and International Health
OBJECTIVES
To describe the effect of adaptations to a person-centred care with short oral regimens on retention in care for rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in Kandahar province, Afgh...
Journal Article
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Research

Public investments in the development of GeneXpert molecular diagnostic technology

Gotham D, McKenna L, Deborggraeve S, Madoori S, Branigan D
2021-08-31 • PLOS One
2021-08-31 • PLOS One
BACKGROUND
The GeneXpert diagnostic platform from the US based company Cepheid is an automated molecular diagnostic device that performs sample preparation and pathogen detection wit...

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Nursing care at MSF

Nursing care at MSF
Nurses spend more time at the bedside than any other healthcare workers and are a cornerstone of quality, person-centered clinical care in MSF health facilities. Through research, MSF has also shown that empowering nurses can also help expand patient access to care. In this collection, we highlight some of the evidence gathered on nurse-led care models at MSF projects, including through strategies that strengthen nurses through innovative training approaches and bedside tools.
Combatting antibiotic resistance 2022

Combatting antibiotic resistance 2022
Resistance to antibiotics is a growing public health crisis, especially in countries with fragile health systems and in regions at war. The World Health Organization has estimated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria caused nearly 1.3 million deaths in 2019, a toll that will increase significantly in the coming years if effective action is not taken. To mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 (18-24 November) we present a snapshot of MSF’s recent work on responding to this growing threat. Since many humanitarian settings lack laboratory capacity to diagnose these infections, MSF and partners have developed two new technologies with the potential to dramatically expand the availability of accurate diagnosis—allowing clinicians to then tailor antibiotic treatment accordingly. Other work from diverse contexts describes practices and challenges related to optimizing rational antibiotic use within health facilities and communities. Lastly, several studies characterize the patterns and prevalence of antibiotic resistance among MSF patients, from hospitalized neonates in Central African Republic to acute trauma patients in Haiti and Yemen.
New tools and approaches to drug-resistant TB

New tools and approaches to drug-resistant TB
The World Health Organization estimates that 410,000 people developed a drug-resistant tuberculosis infection (DR-TB) in 2022, only 40% of whom were diagnosed and started on treatment—and only 63% then cured. Given all these points of failure, innovation in preventing, diagnosing and treating DR-TB cannot come fast enough. To mark World TB Day (24 March 2024) the content collection linked below highlights recent work by MSF and collaborators to help change this grim picture. The TB-PRACTECAL and endTB studies delivered robust evidence for shorter, safer, more effective drug regimens that are already saving lives worldwide. Other studies explore new approaches to preventive treatment and simpler, quicker, accurate detection of TB and drug resistance—especially among difficult-to-diagnose populations such as children and people living with HIV. But to impact DR-TB globally these innovations must become widely accessible. This requires changes on many fronts, as described in an accompanying Collection (Expanding Access to Lifesaving New TB Tools).
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Expanding access to lifesaving new TB tools

Expanding access to lifesaving new TB tools