Tuberculosis News and Research

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

Homeless Intermediate Care Pilot Project helps reduce hospital, ED admissions

A nurse outreach programme to treat people using a homeless shelter in London led to a fall of 77 per cent in hospital admissions from the shelter and a cut of 52 per cent in emergency department attendances.

12 Oct 2012

Examining funding for TB treatment in Europe

In a BMJ Group Blogs post, Caroline Robinson, global health advocacy manager for Results U.K., discusses the prevalence and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB in Europe and provides the example of Romania.

11 Oct 2012

Study finds how MAIT cells recognize products of vitamin B synthesis from bacteria and yeast

An Australian research team has discovered how specialised immune cells recognise products of vitamin B synthesis that are unique to bacteria and yeast, triggering the body to fight infection.

11 Oct 2012

Revamped South African National AIDS Council begins work reviewing national plan

South Africa "recently unveiled" a "newly reformed" South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), "coinciding with the announcement that the country has achieved universal access to HIV treatment," PlusNews reports.

11 Oct 2012

Letters to U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator address global AIDS blueprint

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports on a letter sent by 12 organizations and institutions to U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby, detailing the ways a U.S. global AIDS blueprint, proposed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the XIX International AIDS Conference in July, can address the concerns of key populations, such as injection drug users and men who have sex with men.

10 Oct 2012

IspH protein accepts two completely different classes of molecules as partners

The iron-sulfur protein IspH plays a central role in the terpene metabolism of several pathogens. The mechanism of the reaction provides an approach for developing new antibiotics, particularly against malaria and tuberculosis. While researching this enzyme, biochemists at the Technische Universitat Munchen discovered a previously unknown reaction: IspH accepts two completely different classes of molecules as partners.

10 Oct 2012

GSK, Aeras to advance clinical development of TB vaccine

Aeras announces that it has signed an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, S.A. (GSK) to jointly advance the clinical development of an investigational tuberculosis (TB) vaccine containing GSK's proprietary M72 antigen and AS01E adjuvant.

10 Oct 2012

Southern African leaders sign declaration on TB in mining sector

"In an attempt to tackle tuberculosis [TB] among current and former miners, their families, and affected communities, 15 southern African leaders signed a Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector, a legal instrument, at the recent summit meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government in Maputo, Mozambique," the Lancet reports.

8 Oct 2012

Scientists discover process by which vitamin B12 is made in cells

In a development that may lead to new drugs to treat cancer, scientists at the University of Kent have discovered the process by which a key vitamin (B12) is made in cells.

8 Oct 2012

MSH president talks about health systems innovation in Devex interviews

Devex features three video segments from an interview with Jonathan Quick, president and CEO of Management Sciences for Health (MSH), in which he discusses health systems innovation and the challenge of addressing non-communicable diseases.

6 Oct 2012

Combination pill to treat malaria pre-approved by WHO

"A malaria drug made by India's Cipla has been pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), an important step towards its roll-out across Asia, where millions of people are infected with the mosquito-borne disease every year," Reuters reports.

6 Oct 2012

Nature examines future of AMFm

"Although no official decision has been announced about whether to continue the ... Affordable Medicines Facility-Malaria (AMFm), many of those familiar with it have told Nature that it must change or be phased out after this year," the magazine reports in an article examining the future of the pilot program that distributes malaria drugs in seven African countries.

4 Oct 2012

Zimbabwe set to attain 'universal' ARV coverage

"Zimbabwe is set to attain 'universal' coverage for AIDS treatment thanks in part to an $84 million disbursement on Tuesday by the United Nations-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," the U.N. News Centre reports.

4 Oct 2012

Blog assesses key elements of Global Fund's new funding model

In an article on the International HIV/AIDS Alliance's webpage, the organization compares a new funding model adopted by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to its own "key principles" and "outline[s] how civil society is involved in refining the process of how money will be allocated."

4 Oct 2012

Advocacy group's aid transparency index shows more openness but room for improvement

"As a major international deadline on foreign assistance transparency draws closer, a new index shows that while donors are becoming more open with their data, still less than half of foreign aid information is openly available," Inter Press Service reports.

4 Oct 2012

IRIN examines allegations of Global Fund grant misuse in Uganda

IRIN reports on allegations that a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to Uganda was misused. "Evidence of the mismanagement of a $51 million malaria grant to Uganda from the Global Fund resulted in the July arrest of three Ministry of Health employees and prompted a police investigation into the matter," the news service writes.

3 Oct 2012

FDA approves Abbott’s HUMIRA to treat ulcerative colitis

Abbott today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved HUMIRA (adalimumab) for inducing and sustaining clinical remission in adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) when certain other medicines have not worked well enough.

29 Sep 2012

EC approves Janssen’s DACOGEN for treatment of de novo acute myeloid leukaemia

Janssen-Cilag International NV announced today that the European Commission has approved the marketing authorisation for DACOGEN(decitabine) for the treatment of adult patients (age 65 years and above) with newly diagnosed de novo or secondary acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification, who are not candidates for standard induction chemotherapy.

28 Sep 2012

Large donors dictating direction of global health research, financing, essay says

"When it comes to getting aid right, an all-too-familiar problem seems to be balancing the priorities of rich governments with what communities actually want," AlertNet reports in an article examining an essay written by Oxford University researcher Devi Sridhar and published in PLOS Medicine.

28 Sep 2012

African leaders renew commitment to providing HIV treatment, prevention services

"African leaders meeting on the sidelines of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly called Wednesday for innovative solutions to accelerate the response to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and to advance health for people on the continent," the U.N. News Centre reports.

28 Sep 2012