Conclusions and recommendations
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We’re still simply not seeing the necessary urgency and major investment into research and development that is needed to make sure the basic science of TB gets translated into newer drugs that can shorten and improve treatment, and diagnostic tests that can be used in resource-poor settings. Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer,
MSF Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
”
MSF calls for increased access to treatment We need a massive effort to ensure more patients have access to appropriate treatment. This means:
© Alessandro Cosmelli
Boosting access to better diagnostic methods Until a new easy-to-use and sensitive point-of-care
Muynaq, TB patient, Uzbekistan
diagnostic test for TB is developed, there is no alternative but to boost access to existing diagnostic tools. Additional TB culture facilities must be set up wherever possible. Significant international and national efforts to build the capacity of laboratory facilities will also be necessary if the WHO recommendation to screen patients at risk of DR-TB for drug resistance is to be implemented successfully. MDR-TB rates in many areas of the world are high enough to justify routine DST testing in all new TB patients. For people living with HIV, DST should be performed at the start of TB treatment, as far as possible, to avoid mortality due to unrecognised DR-TB. Rapid DST methods should be used whenever feasible for the initial screening of DR-TB.25 Prioritising TB and scaling-up drug-resistant TB treatment programmes Current scale-up of TB treatment programmes is far too slow to achieve the global target to treat 1.6