Lilly MDR-TB Partnership
In 2003, Lilly launched a USD 70 million initiative to fight the growing threat of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Because of the complexity of MDR-TB prevention and control, Lilly and its partners developed a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy to strengthen health care systems at country level. Today, Lilly works with leading health care organizations and TB stakeholders to transfer Lilly manufacturing know-how to pharmaceutical companies in affected countries, to supply medicines at preferential prices; implement MDR-TB health care training programs, to involve communities and business in MDR-TB prevention and treatment, and to strengthen surveillance of drug resistance. In 2007, Lilly renewed its support to the MDR-TB Partnership with an additional USD 50 million comittment over a four year period.
Lilly and Purdue University assisted four countries hardest hit by MDR-TB (China, India, Russia and South Africa) to produce two much-needed second-line medicines, capreomycin and cycloserine. WHO provides technical assistance to MDR-TB countries and the WHO Green Light Committee has enrolled to date around 30,000 patients in over 40 countries. Several thousand health care professionals and community health workers have been trained in MDR-TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Harvard Medical School and Partners in Health have created an MDR-TB training Center of Excellence and are working with five Russian TB Research Institutes to provide standardized MDR-TB treatment training nationwide. Also in Russia, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are launching a cutting edge electronic surveillance system for monitoring of MDR-TB.
The International Council of Nurses has developed TB and MDR-TB guidelines for nurses and carries out training in high MDR-TB burden countries. The World Medical Association's physician training tools provides access to the latest international standards of care. The International Hospital Federation developed a comprehensive TB and MDR-TB-control training manual for hospital managers which was field tested in South Africa. The manual is now being disseminated to 40,000 public and private hospital and clinic members throughout the world. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is working to improve community support, home care and compliance via educational programs.
The World Economic Forum's Business Alliance to Stop TB increases workplace awareness of the disease. TB Alert and Paul Thorn, author of The TB Survival Handbook, launched an advocacy website to engage and help MDR-TB patients and their families.