Tuberculosis (TB)

WHO interim guidance launched on the use of bedaquiline to treat MDR-TB

13 June 2013 | Geneva | For the first time in over 40 years, a new TB drug with a novel mechanism of action - bedaquiline- is available, and was granted accelerated approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in December 2012.

There is considerable interest in the potential of this drug to treat MDR-TB. However, information about this new drug remains limited. It has only been through two Phase IIb trials for safety and efficacy. The World Health Organization (WHO) is therefore issuing “interim policy guidance”.

Access the interim policy guidance on the use of bedaquiline in the treatment of MDR-TB

Global health leaders honour UN Secretary-General Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis

15 April 2013 | Geneva | The WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, the Executive Director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Mark Dybul and the UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Dr Luiz Loures among others honoured Dr Jorge Sampaio, former United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis at a special ceremony organized by the World Health Organization and the Stop TB Partnership. A certificate of recognition was presented to Dr Sampaio by the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan for his commitment to raising the profile of the fight against tuberculosis and advocating for improved tuberculosis control among global leaders.

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World Health Organization and Global Fund cite tuberculosis threat

WHO/HM Dias

18 MARCH 2013 | GENEVA - WHO and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria said today that strains of tuberculosis with resistance to multiple drugs could spread widely and highlight an annual need of at least US$ 1.6 billion in international funding for treatment and prevention of the disease.

Revision of definitions and reporting framework for tuberculosis launched

15 April 2013 | Geneva | Recording and reporting of data is a fundamental component of care of patients with tuberculosis (TB) and control of the disease. Standardization of definitions and reporting structures has permitted uniformity in the reporting of indicators of performance of national TB control programmes for many years. WHO has just launched a document that revises previous WHO standard case definitions for TB and drug-resistant TB, the categories used to assign outcomes, and the standard reporting framework for TB.

To access the document please click here

Top stories
WHO interim guidance launched on the use of bedaquiline to treat MDR-TB
Global health leaders honour UN Secretary-General Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis
World Health Organization and Global Fund cite tuberculosis threat
Revision of definitions and reporting framework for tuberculosis launched

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease that is preventable and curable. WHO is working to dramatically reduce the burden of TB, and halve TB deaths and prevalence by 2015, through its Stop TB Strategy and supporting the Global Plan to Stop TB.

HIGHLIGHTS

The global scale-up to address the challenge of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) will require health care workers in low-resource countries to improve their knowledge and skills to detect and care for larger numbers of MDR-TB patients.In order to maximize the dissemination of the World Health Organization’s guidance on programmatic management of drug-resistant TB (PMDT), the WHO Stop TB Department has supported the World Medical Association (WMA) and New Jersey Medical School Global Tuberculosis Institute to create an android application for use on tablet computers based on its web-based training course on PMDT.

Looking beyond 2015

At the World Health Assembly (WHA) 2012, Ministers of Health called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop a post-2015 TB strategy and accompanying targets for their consideration in 2014. WHO working with the Stop TB Partnership, is pursuing this process. Partners were invited through a questionnaire to provide ideas on the way forward; analysis was done of varying country epidemics; followed by formulation of possible new targets, and a strategy framework with three proposed pillars: innovative TB care, bold policies & supportive systems and intensified research and innovation. The WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG-TB) endorsed the approach and plans for further consultation, and along with partners debated options for goals and targets. Further input has come at regional meetings of National TB Programme Managers, and at meetings linked to the 43rd Union World Conference on Lung Health. WHO and the Stop TB Partnership have created portals to gather further input and feedback. The final proposed strategy and targets should be presented to the WHA in 2014.

To access the post-2015 TB strategy webpage please click here.

Introduction and rational use of new drugs/regimens for the treatment of tuberculosis in countries

Open hands holding tuberculosis medication

The landscape of drug development for treatment of tuberculosis (TB) has evolved dramatically over the last ten years. A series of Phase II and III trials of shortened treatment of drug-susceptible (DS) TB including repurposed drugs (e.g. fluoroquinolones) or new dosages of known drugs (e.g. rifamycin, rifapentine) are presently on-going, with earliest results expected in 2013/14. For the first time in nearly 50 years, two new molecular entities proposed for the treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) TB are currently making their way through the regulatory pathway in the EU and the US. Additionally, other new compounds and novel combinations of drugs are being investigated for the treatment of DS and/or MDR/XDR-TB. Treatment shortening regimens as well as substitution compounds for existing regimens are being investigated. In this context, the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Tuberculosis (STAG-TB) endorsed in June 2012 a plan to develop necessary policy guidance for the introduction and use of new TB drugs within recommended regimens. The plan also calls for WHO to support the optimal uptake of new TB drugs/regimens, once results of drug trials become available and drugs are granted license for market access by regulatory authorities, and foster the optimal uptake and rational use of new TB drugs within defined regimens in programmatic conditions.

For more information please click here.

WHO-CIDA Initiative: Intensifying TB case detection

The World Health Organization, through a 3 year grant from the Canadian International Development Agency, is assisting five selected high TB incidence countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Philippines, Swaziland and Vietnam) in implementing specific approaches that contribute to not only increasing TB case detection in settings where they are applied, but also across the entire country.

To access factsheets on the initiative and progress made in countries please click here.

Questions and Answers on Tuberculosis Vaccines

TOOLS FOR TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL

Global Fund grant guidance and tools
Stop TB support and guidance to countries on matters related to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

TBTEAM (TB TEchnical Assistance Mechanism)

Linking countries with technical assistance. TBTEAM, which is managed by the WHO Stop TB Department and whose secretariat is also hosted by the WHO Stop TB Department, was created by the Stop TB Partnership in 2007. TBTEAM engages the network of Stop TB partners, including National TB Programmes, local and international NGOs, financial partners, and WHO at country, regional and global levels to ensure a more coordinated and efficient approach to technical assistance.

TB planning and budgeting tool
The tool is an Excel-based spreadsheet in which plans and budgets for all major components of the Stop TB Strategy can be developed. Accompanying documents and related links that will help users to understand and use the tool effectively are also provided on this site.