NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

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.