Fraction of TB patients getting most effective drugs, but pharma companies stress access efforts

24 March 2017

Fewer than 5% of those in need are receiving treatment with the most effective tuberculosis (TB) drugs, despite the fact that they have been on the market for up to four years.

According to the medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), only 4,800 people with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) globally were treated with these two newest medicines in 2016.

"For the 18 patients in our project we’ve initiated on a combination of bedaquiline and delamanid, nearly 90% had a negative culture following six months of treatment, which is an early sign that the treatment will ultimately be successful"

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK