TBPPM Learning Network Welcomes the new innovations in the pipeline for TB
India was in the spotlight on World TB Day 2023. The One World TB Summit in Varanasi organized from March 23-26, 2023 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) of India and the Stop TB Partnership garnered international attention to India’s efforts to end TB. As Pai M and Swaminathan S outline in this article. India is well placed to scale innovations in tuberculosis mainly for these six reasons.
- India has a clear objective for early TB identification and diagnosis, but needs to improve execution and scale.
- India has nearly 5000 diagnostic systems but needs to sort out supply chain and procurement challenges.
- India has excellent domestic technology for TB diagnosis and could continue innovation by creating a center for innovations.
- India has shown the capacity for molecular testing during the COVID-19 pandemic and can redeploy this capacity for TB testing.
- India has engaged private providers in efforts to scale up quality diagnostics, but further cost reductions are possible.
- India can evaluate, optimize, and adopt newer non-sputum-based approaches for TB testing.
During the One World TB Summit, the Stop TB Partnership conducted a board session titled, Making the ‘Impossible-Possible’ for People Affected by TB during which they highlighted several TB innovations from India. These innovations are available in this detailed report from Stop TB partnership. These innovations illustrate how private sector innovators and partnerships, facilitators and other actors have contributed to the promotion of novel ideas.
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The landscape of TB care worldwide too is rapidly transforming with newer innovations that are more patient centered and cater to specific population groups such as children, pregnant women, people with HIV, etc. The dreaded long duration of treatment is now fading away with the hope of shorter regimens that can cure TB quickly. Modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence are being used in chest X rays and analysis of cough sounds. Furthermore, after more than a century since the last TB vaccine, newer vaccines are currently in development.
These advancements are crucial in achieving the End TB targets, but they require significant investment. Therefore, in conjunction with the global community, the TBPPM Learning Network urges leaders and policymakers to prioritize investment in these innovations, for a better future for those affected by TB.
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