TB Alliance with the Support of the Republic of Korea Announce Initiative to Broaden Adoption and Scale Up of New Treatments for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (TB)
LIFT-TB to increase treatment completion rates for drug-resistant TB, focusing on seven high-burden Southeast and Central Asian countries that shoulder about 1 in 5 TB cases
PRETORIA (21 October 2020)—TB Alliance has announced an initiative to broaden adoption and scale up of new tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. This initiative, known as LIFT-TB (Leveraging Innovation for Faster Treatment of Tuberculosis) will also seek to increase treatment completion rates for drug-resistant forms of TB in some of the countries most affected by this form of TB across the Southeast and Central Asian regions, namely Indonesia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
“We’ve recently witnessed tremendous momentum in the fight against some of the most drug-resistant forms of TB,” said Sandeep Juneja, SVP Market Access at TB Alliance. “Now, we’re excited to help make an impact by ensuring that novel TB treatment regimens become widely available to those who need them most.”
The five-year project entails a combined commitment of approximately US$11 million by the TB Alliance and the Republic of Korea, through the Global Disease Eradication Fund (GDEF), across the seven target countries. The project aims to save lives and livelihoods of TB patients, their families and communities by providing technical assistance to facilitate adoption and scale up of new TB treatment regimens and reducing the health systems and epidemiological burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Among other goals, the project will support early commencement of operations research for the six-month, all-oral, three-drug BPaL regimen, being planned by participating countries, consistent with current WHO recommendations.
The project will be implemented in partnership with the International Tuberculosis Research Center (ITRC), located in Korea, TB Alliance’s primary collaborator for this project. The project will rely on technical assistance from other international and national technical partners, including KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation.
“The ITRC is committed to developing, improving and disseminating diagnostic technology for fast and accurate identification of drug-resistant bacteria. We are excited to engage in LIFT-TB and contribute our expertise in TB diagnostics to the successful introduction and scale up of improved TB treatment,” said Dr. Sun Dae Song, Chairman of the Board for the ITRC.
The project will facilitate access to novel treatment regimens for drug-resistant forms of TB, beginning with the combination treatment of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid—collectively referred to as the BPaL regimen. The regimen was studied in TB Alliance’s pivotal Nix-TB trial, which demonstrated a favorable outcome in 90% of patients, as published in the 5 March 2020 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.1 Pretomanid, a new chemical entity developed by TB Alliance and commercialized by their global partner Mylan as part of BPaL, has most recently received marketing authorization by the European Commission and the Drug Controller General of India. It has been approved as an oral tablet formulation as part of the BPaL regimen for the treatment of adult patients with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) or multidrug-resistant pulmonary TB (MDR-TB) that is treatment-intolerant or non-responsive.
In 2019, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with TB worldwide, 62% of which were in the Southeast and Western Pacific regions.2 While the seven target countries in the project constitute only 8% of the global population, they account for 12.5% of global drug-resistant TB incidence and only one of three affected patients are treated.2
About TB
TB is an infectious disease that can be spread from person-to-person through the air. TB, in all forms, must be treated with a combination of drugs; the most drug-sensitive forms of TB require six months of treatment using four anti-TB drugs.3 Treatment of XDR-TB or treatment-intolerant/non-responsive MDR-TB has historically been lengthy and complex; most XDR-TB patients are treated with a combination of as many as eight antibiotics, some involving daily injections, for 18 months or longer.3 The most recent World Health Organization (WHO) data indicate treatment success rates of approximately 39 percent for XDR-TB4 and 57 percent for MDR-TB.2
About TB Alliance TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight TB. Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. TB Alliance operates with support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research through KfW, Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Indonesia Health Fund, Irish Aid, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), United Kingdom Department for International Development, UK Department of Health, and the United States Agency for International Development.
About GDEF The Global Disease Eradication Fund of the Government of the Republic of Korea is based on the Air-ticket solidarity levy system which imposes a donation of KRW 1,000 on passengers departing from airports in Korea for the purpose of preventing and controlling infectious diseases in developing countries. The GDEF is partnering with diverse actors to develop, test and deliver a range of innovative products to combat global infectious diseases. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs entrusts Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to operate and manage the GDEF.
About KOICA Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA), is contributing to the advancement of international cooperation through various projects that build friendly and collaborative relationships and mutual exchanges between Korea and developing countries and support the economic and social development in developing countries, as a leading development cooperation agency of KOREA.
- Contact:
- TB Alliance Thomas Lynch 646.616.8639 Email: communications@tballiance.org
Conradie F, et al. Bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid for treatment of extensively drug resistant, intolerant or non-responsive multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. N Eng J Med 2020;382:893-902.
World Health Organization (WHO). Global TB Report 2020. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/336069/9789240013131-eng.pdf
The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Tackling Drug- Resistant Infections Globally. May 2016. Available at: https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/160518_Final%20paper_with%20cover.pdf
World Health Organization (WHO). Global TB Report 2019. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/329368/9789241565714-eng.pdf?ua=1
TB Alliance announced LIFT-TB (Leveraging Innovation for Faster Treatment of TB) on 21 October at 1PM CEST during a launch event in the form of a Zoom webinar. The event focused on the introduction of new TB therapies and featured critical voices in the global fight against tuberculosis. The session was moderated by Saurabh Rane, MD, activist and XDR-TB survivor.
Speakers included:
Sandeep Juneja, SVP, Market Access, TB Alliance
Teak Keun Lee, Director General, Global Disease Eradication Fund Department, KOICA
Tauhid Islam, MD, Coordinator, End TB and Leprosy, WHO WPRO
Vineet Bhatia, MD, Medical Officer, WHO SEARO
Celina Garfin, MD, NTP Manager, Philippines
Nataliia Lytvynenko, MD, Head DR-TB Research, NAMSU and Principal Investigator, BPaL Operational Research, Ukraine
Zaw Myint, MD, Senior Consultant, NTP Myanmar
Please find the Zoom webinar recording below. You can also view Sandeep Juneja's presentation here and Teak Keun Lee's presentation here.