NEW TB TEST TO DETECT MORE PEOPLE WHO NEED DR-TB TREATMENT

MSF report says fixing drug supply and price problems is urgent

Geneva/Johannesburg, 23 March 2011 – A promising new diagnostic test will
finally help detect more people with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB),
increasing the urgency to solve major problems around the pricing and
supply of DR-TB medicines, according to a new report by the international
medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). DR-TB is
on the rise, but less than 7% of 440,000 new cases each year receive
treatment, and DR-TB kills 150,000 people annually WHO.
The treatment of DR-TB relies on old antibiotics, many of which have severe
side effects, ranging from constant nausea to deafness, and must be taken
as complex regimens – patients must take up to 17 pills every day for up to
two years. However, these are the only drugs that exist today that can
tackle DR-TB.  MSF’s report shows that these drugs are riddled with
persistent supply and price problems that must be urgently addressed.
“Patients have been stuck in a vicious circle – not enough people are
diagnosed, and drug supply problems along with high prices stand in the way
of putting more people on treatment,” said Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer,
Executive Director of MSF’s Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines.
“The low demand for DR-TB drugs has made the market unattractive for
producers, which is reinforcing supply and price problems.”
MSF’s report examined medicines used to treat DR-TB according to the number
of suppliers, quality assurance and price, based on information obtained
from the Global Drug Facility and drug manufacturers.  It found that four
of the recommended medicines are available from only one quality-assured
source. Relying on a sole supplier whose production could be disrupted or
stopped at any time always carries a risk of dangerous treatment
interruption for patients. For example, supplies of the injectable drug
kanamycin were disrupted during 2010, leading to a temporary global
stockout.
Additionally, MSF’s report found that several DR-TB medicines are very
expensive, with prices for two drugs having increased by more than 600% and
one drug by more than 800% over the last decade.  A 24-month DR-TB
treatment regimen can cost as much as US$9,000 for one patient – 470 times
more than the $19 per patient it costs to cure standard, drug-sensitive TB.
“Now that we have a new test that can detect DR-TB in less than two hours
instead of three months, we’re going to see many more people who will need
reliable drug supplies to get cured,” said Dr. Jennifer Hughes of MSF in
Khayelitsha, South Africa. MSF is rolling out the new test in 15 countries
this year. “We need to see some immediate action to resolve these problems
and improve access to DR-TB drugs so that more people are started on
treatment and transmission of this disease is reduced,” said Dr. Hughes.
One way to kickstart increased production of some of these drugs is for
donors to guarantee purchase volumes for several years to producers
upfront. Other mechanisms such as better forecasting of the mid- to
long-term needs for DR-TB drugs are also needed to help attract more
producers to the market, to improve supply security and increase
competition that helps brings prices down.
 “We have developed a model of managing DR-TB within the community that can
be scaled up to allow increased access to treatment in high HIV prevalent
settings. With faster diagnosis and better treatment models of DR-TB we
need to fix the supply and price issues with DR-TB drugs. We also need to
see new drugs developed,” said Dr. Hughes.
Joanna Keenan
Press Officer
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
Medecins Sans Frontieres
joanna.keenan [at] geneva.msf.org