Tuberculosis

The Why

With new treatment regimens and new diagnostic technologies now available, Partners In Health (PIH) is working alongside global and local partners to accelerate the introduction of TB care delivery and to eliminate TB globally.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, despite being curable. Spread through the air by a cough or sneeze from someone with an active infection, TB attacks the lungs and can affect other parts of the body. Individuals with weakened immune systems from diseases such as HIV, diabetes, or malnutrition are especially susceptible to TB.

With over 80% of TB cases and deaths in low- and middle-income countries, it is clear there are significant healthcare inequities that must be addressed for patients to receive the right treatment, at the right time, with the right support.

7.5 million people globally were newly diagnosed with TB in 2022 (Source: 2023 WHO Global TB Report)

1.3 million people were estimated to have died from TB in 2022 (Source: WHO)

Only 25% of TB testing sites globally are estimated to have access to WHO-recommended diagnostics as of 2021 (Source: WHO)

The Solution

PIH has collaborated with national governments and global donors to treat and prevent the spread of TB for over three decades.

Unitaid

Through our partnership with Unitaid, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and Interactive Research and Development (IRD), and many other local implementers, we are revolutionizing global TB care.

With funding from Unitaid, PIH partnered with MSF and IRD to implement the endTB project. The endTB project dramatically increased the uptake of new, approved TB drugs and improved the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) through a large observational study and two clinical trials. Through this project, two new drugs – bedaquiline and delamanid – were introduced in 17 countries with a significant burden of MDR-TB, including three PIH-supported sites: Kazakhstan, Lesotho, and Peru.

The clinical trials evaluated shorter, better, less toxic regimens for MDR/RR-TB. The endTB trial included 754 participants from seven countries, concluded in June 2023, and showed encouraging results of a reduced treatment time by up to two-thirds. In August 2024, the WHO officially recommended three new endTB trial regimens for multidrug/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB). A second trial, endTB-Q, which enrolled 323 participants, was completed in July 2024. Preliminary results were presented at the Union Conference in November 2024. For more information about the endTB project, please visit endTB.org

The Global Fund

Through our partnership with the Global Fund, we are able to continue to fight infectious diseases and strengthen health systems.

PIH and the National Tuberculosis Program in Kazakhstan are conducting a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a nine-month treatment regimen with all-oral TB drugs for patients living with drug-resistant TB. With funding from the Global Fund and Unitaid, PIH has enrolled 1,800 patients and trained more than 400 TB doctors across Kazakhstan administering the new regimen. PIH has served as a sub-contractor to the Global Fund in Kazakhstan since 2020. PIH also serves as a sub-recipient in Haiti and Lesotho, as well as a principal recipient in Peru for both TB and HIV programming.