In a breakthrough for patients with multi-drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB), researchers shared positive trial results for a shorter, tailored alternative at the World Conference on Lung Health in Bali, Indonesia.  The insights came from the endTB-Q trial aimed at finding a simpler, less toxic, shorter regimen for fluoroquinolone-resistant MDR-TB. Fluoroquinolone is a common class of […] Continue reading ->
With plans underway for a new “Independent Panel” on Antimicrobial Resistance, endorsed at September’s UN High-Level AMR Meeting, the new body must become a strong scientific authority. It should have the power to “challenge” the agencies that create it and address both human and animal health factors driving drug-resistant pathogens. That was a key message […] Continue reading ->
In 2021, I lost a close friend to tuberculosis (TB), the world’s most lethal infection. But I cannot say anything else about this friend, where I met him or when we became close.  The stigma surrounding tuberculosis is too impenetrable and, unfortunately, it would not be fair to my friend’s family. Still, for me, his […] Continue reading ->
There is an urgent need for Africa to develop local manufacturing capabilities for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) so as to reduce reliance on imports, enhance healthcare outcomes, and stimulate economic growth. But innovative technologies and international partnerships can help stimulate African pharma growth, revolutionize API production, and ensure self-sufficiency across the continent in a post-pandemic […] Continue reading ->
Better use of existing pneumonia and typhoid vaccines as well as new TB and pneumonia vaccines that are currently in clinical trials, could save over half a million deaths annually from drug resistant pathogens that don’t respond to antibiotics, according to a new WHO report on how vaccine strategies can reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR). And […] Continue reading ->
When policymakers, advocates, diplomats, and practitioners come together this month at the UN General Assembly, drug-resistant superbugs will be on everyone’s mind. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the phenomenon where bacteria and other infectious agents no longer respond to treatments, will be the topic of a UN High-Level Meeting on 26 September to discuss this serious and […] Continue reading ->