Prominent Healthcare Companies Partner With USAID

Friday, January 8, 2016

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced two new partnerships today to add resources and cutting-edge technologies to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Janssen, the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, announced a $15-20 million pledge as part of a new partnership with USAID to combat Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). USAID will also partner with Cepheid, a maker of molecular systems and tests, to speed diagnosis of MDR-TB through increased access to rapid, accurate diagnostic tools.

These two commitments support the recently released White House National Action Plan to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis. These partnerships build and expand on existing, successful collaborations including a 3-year, $30 million donation of the drug SIRTURO® (bedaquiline) from Janssen.

TB kills more adults around the world than any other infectious disease; every day more than 4000 people die of TB, and each year there are 1.5 million deaths from the disease. MDR-TB occurs in almost every country in the world, including the United States. This year alone, more than 480,000 people will develop MDR-TB and fewer than 20 percent will receive the medications they need.

Source: allAfrica (link opens in a new window)

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