Janssen perspective on meeting the challenge of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in resource-limited settings

摘要

Although multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been aptly described as a "time bomb", a point reiterated more recently by Margaret Chan, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, we have only made minor progress towards controlling this global public health threat. MDR-TB, defined as tuberculosis resistant at least to two of the most effective drugs in the routine therapy of TB can be transmitted by a simple cough. While transmission of MDR-TB is a significant threat to people everywhere, the sharp rise in drug-resistant forms has been particularly challenging for those in higher-burden, resource-limited settings. At Janssen, we have a legacy of working to address serious, global public health issues, including parasites, mycoses, diarrhea and HIV/AIDS. Janssen has strong heritage in the area of TB as well; our founder, Dr. Paul Janssen, lost his sister to the disease and from then on made it his personal mission to find and discover better treatment options. Through our involvement in the research and development (R&D) process, and engagement with stakeholders across many health systems, we have identified three core recommendations to ensure progress in the fight against MDR-TB.