GENEVA - June 30, 2008 - Patients in low-resource countries who are ill with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) will soon be able to receive a faster diagnosis through rapid tests and obtain appropriate, life-saving treatment earlier, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO, Stop TB Partnership, UNITAID, and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) unveiled today two new initiatives that will allow patients with MDR-TB to receive a diagnosis in two days versus the standard two to three months.
At present it is estimated that only 2% of MDR-TB cases worldwide are being diagnosed and treated appropriately, mainly because of inadequate laboratory services. The initiatives announced today should increase that proportion to 15% or more over the next four years.
"I am delighted that this initiative will improve both the technology needed to diagnose TB quickly and increase the availability of drugs to treat highly resistant TB," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who helped launch the Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB in 2006.
The initiative comes just 1 week after WHO recommended line probe assays for rapid MDR-TB diagnosis worldwide. This policy change was driven by data from recent studies, including a large field trial that produced evidence for the reliability and feasibility of using line probe assays under routine conditions.
"Five months ago, WHO renewed its call to make MDR-TB an urgent public health priority, and today we have evidence to guide our response. Based on that evidence, we are launching these promising initiatives," said Margaret Chan, MD, Director-General, WHO.
The new initiative consists of two projects. The first will introduce a molecular method to diagnose MDR-TB that until now was used exclusively in research settings. These rapid, new molecular tests, known as line probe assays, produce a test results in less than two days.
Over the next four years -- as lab staff are trained, lab facilities enhanced, and new equipment delivered -- 16 countries will begin using rapid methods to diagnose MDR-TB, including the molecular tests. The countries will receive the tests through the Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility, which provides countries with both drugs and diagnostic supplies.
WHO's Global Laboratory Initiative and FIND will help countries prepare for installation and use of the new rapid diagnostic tests, ensuring necessary technical standards for biosafety and the capacity to accurately perform DNA-based tests. One country, Lesotho, is already equipped to start using these tests, and Ethiopia is expected to be ready by the end of 2008. The tests will be phased in from 2009 to 2011 in the remaining 14 countries.
Under the second project, the Global Drug Facility will boost the supply of drugs needed to treat MDR-TB in 54 countries, including those receiving the new diagnostic tests. This project is also expected to achieve price reductions of up to 20% for second-line anti-TB drugs by 2010. All the countries receiving this assistance have met WHO's technical standards for managing MDR-TB and already have treatment programmes in place. Some will use grants from the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to purchase the drugs.
Source: World Health Organization
