Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB, TB) remains a global challenge. In 2017, 10.0 million people fell ill and 1.6 million died. Despite these numbers, tuberculosis is curable yet required progress has been elusive. Greater than 1/3 of new people affected by TB are undiagnosed or detected but not reported and drug resistance is on the rise. Co-infection with HIV and other pathogens further complicate the patients diagnostic and care cascade. And while tuberculosis infects humans globally, the burden of disease has geographic patterns. The challenge is multifaceted.
As a community we all have to be ready to respond together.
To address this crisis, all Member States of World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) endorsed the End TB Strategy and adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which aim to “end the global TB epidemic”. The End TB Strategy targets a reduction in TB deaths, reduction in TB incidence, and affected families to have zero catastrophic costs related to TB. It is a bold and complex strategy to combat tuberculosis globally. A UN High Level Meeting further strengthened country commitment and political will in this fight against tuberculosis. This is just the beginning.
Roche is committed to eradicate tuberculosis globally as
part of a comprehensive diagnostic access program.
No single action will resolve this global health problem on its own. Diagnostics are part of the solution. Enabling polyvalency with testing scalability while supporting universal DST initiatives will benefit patients and help national programs meet their targets. Roche is committed to a holistic diagnostic approach in working towards the 2030 End TB Strategy.
“..we cannot win the battle
against AIDS if we do not also
fight TB”
Nelson Mandela, 15 July 2004, XV International AIDS Conference, Bangkok
The Global Access Program supports the End TB Strategy by expanding access to diagnostics in high-burden countries. Through important partnerships, ensuring all humans have access to high quality diagnostics is a core commitment of Roche. Reliable and accurate diagnosis reduces risk of further transmission, delays in treatment, and additional burdens on the healthcare system. Sustainable diagnostics that supports global health initiatives is a social responsibility and a core belief of Roche and its diagnostic division. We aim to directly support the extensive field work performed by so many dedicated people and agencies.
