Tuberculosis News and Research

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

PEPFAR blueprint relies on science to inform policies, SciDev.Net reports

"Science is at the center of efforts to design and implement more effective preventative and care programs for HIV/AIDS set out in a blueprint published by a U.S. government initiative that fights the disease," SciDev.Net reports, referencing the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation that was released November 29.

11 Dec 2012

Governments, donors should follow PMI model of testing drugs for quality

"[W]e are losing the global fight against bad medicines," and though "[s]ome progress is being made," the "problem is that ... crackdowns tend to focus on counterfeit drugs" while a "much bigger public health problem ... is substandard drugs that are the result of shoddy manufacturing and handling -- or perhaps worse, deliberate corner-cutting," Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

11 Dec 2012

Risk factors revealed for anti-tuberculosis drug hepatotoxicity

The risk for hepatotoxicity among patients treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs is affected by gender, ethnicity, and the presence of genetic polymorphisms, say Argentinean researchers.

10 Dec 2012

GlobalPost blog interviews reporter Joanne Silberner about PRI series on cancer in developing world

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog features an interview with freelance reporter and artist-in-residence at the University of Washington in Seattle Joanne Silberner, a former NPR correspondent, about her recent series for PRI's "The World," titled "Cancer's New Battleground -- The Developing World."

8 Dec 2012

Stopping TB requires dedication of international community

Noting that the WHO's Global Tuberculosis Report shows "that access to care and treatment for tuberculosis [TB] has expanded substantially in the past two decades," Deborah Derrick, president of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, writes in an AlertNet opinion piece, "Not only is this good news for those countries that are most vulnerable to tuberculosis; it is also good news for the global community," as TB can be passed through the air.

7 Dec 2012

Global Fund names interim inspector general

"Norbert Hauser has been named interim inspector general of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," Devex's "Development Newswire" reports, adding, "The recently retired lawyer and international auditor will serve in this temporary appointment for up to nine months while the Global Fund searches for a permanent inspector general to replace John Parsons," whose employment was terminated last month.

7 Dec 2012

U.S. House Minority Leader Pelosi announces new top Democrats on House committees

U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday announced the new top Democrats on House committees, Bloomberg reports.

7 Dec 2012

FDA designates two of Cubist’s Phase 3 antibiotic candidates

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated two of the company's Phase 3 antibiotic candidates, CXA-201 (ceftolozane/tazobactam) and CB-315, as Qualified Infectious Disease Products (QIDP).

6 Dec 2012

Scientific exploration important on earth, in space

In the New York Times' "Scientist At Work" blog, Alexander Kumar, a physician and researcher at Concordia Station in Antarctica, examines the question of "why humans should venture out to other planets, and perhaps in the process create new problems, when we have so many problems on our own planet," including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other "largely preventable and treatable" conditions.

6 Dec 2012

PEPFAR to buy additional 150 rapid TB testing devices

PEPFAR will purchase up to 150 rapid tuberculosis (TB) Xpert testing devices and cartridges to test about 450,000 people for TB, "addressing a need to improve diagnoses of drug-resistant strains of disease, and to identify the disease in HIV-positive people in sub-Saharan Africa and Myanmar, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator announced" Tuesday, the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

6 Dec 2012

Report examines international funding for neglected diseases

"International financial support aimed at counteracting the world's 'neglected diseases' increased by nearly a half-billion dollars over the past five years, according to new research released Monday, but changing funding dynamics could already be having a negative impact on the development of cures for diseases that affect a substantial proportion of the world's poor," Inter Press Service reports.

5 Dec 2012

Global Fund, Tanzania sign new grant agreement worth $308M

"The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has signed a new grant agreement [with Tanzania] worth $308 million," Devex's "Development Newswire" reports. "The grant, signed Dec. 1, will help provide more than 660,000 Tanzanians access to antiretrovirals, HIV testing and counseling, and other health products for the next three years, according to a press release" from the Global Fund, the news service writes.

5 Dec 2012

Opinion pieces, editorial address global AIDS response

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday announced the Obama administration's "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation", and the international community recognized World AIDS Day on December 1.

4 Dec 2012

Huffington Post opinion pieces published in recognition of World AIDS Day

The Huffington Post features a webpage collecting articles, videos, and opinion pieces on World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1. The following opinion pieces, among others, were published on the page.

4 Dec 2012

Blogs address global AIDS issues following World AIDS Day, release of U.S. blueprint

The following blog posts address global AIDS issues, following World AIDS Day on December 1 and the release of the Obama administration's "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation" on November 29.

4 Dec 2012

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on Friday published Issue 204 of its "Global Fund Observer."

1 Dec 2012

Financial Times publishes special report on global AIDS response

The Financial Times on Friday published a special report titled, "FT Health: Combating AIDS 2012."

1 Dec 2012

U.S. must continue to lead in HIV/AIDS investments but everyone needs to increase efforts

The "Blueprint for an AIDS-free Generation," released on Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "shows that upfront investments to support the rapid scale-up of lifesaving AIDS treatment will yield significant savings -- of both lives and dollars -- in the near future," Archbishop Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa, writes in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog.

30 Nov 2012

Blog examines report on state of TB funding

Writing in the Global Health Technologies Coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, Eleonora Jimenez-Levi, a senior researcher at the Treatment Action Group (TAG), examines the 2012 Report on Tuberculosis Research Funding Trends: 2005–2011,"the latest report on the state of funding for tuberculosis (TB) research and product development."

30 Nov 2012

Fully funded Global Fund key to preventing MTCT of HIV

"HIV is the leading cause of death of women of reproductive age," and without HIV, "maternal mortality worldwide would be 20 percent lower," Lucy Chesire, executive director and secretary to the Board of the TB ACTION Group, writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog.

30 Nov 2012