Tuberculosis News and Research

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

Clinton's speech prioritizing creation of 'Aids-free generation' may shape future of U.S. global health strategy, analysts say

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's November 8 speech at the NIH, in which she called for the creation of an "AIDS-free generation" through the use of combination prevention strategies, "could be more than just political lip-service: it may also shape the next several years of U.S. global health programming and funding, analysts say," PlusNews reports.

15 Nov 2011

VOA News examines Foundation's efforts to treat MDR-TB patients in North Korea

VOA News examines the Eugene Bell Foundation's work in North Korea to detect and treat patients with multiple-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The foundation is treating about 600 patients in North Korea, where "conditions ... are ideal for the spread of TB. The climate is cold. Most citizens live and work in small spaces, and lack proper nutrition to maintain a strong immune system," VOA writes.

15 Nov 2011

Mtb produces specific protein that allows it to defuse and bypass body's security system

Tuberculosis, which kills over 2 million people each year, is caused primarily by infectious bacteria known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis - or Mtb. Mtb targets human immune cells as part of its strategy to avoid detection, effectively neutralizing the body's immune response.

15 Nov 2011

Researchers in Philippines develop machine to quickly detect drug-resistant TB

In this post in the Global Post's "Global Pulse" blog, journalist John Donnelly reports on how a machine developed by researchers at the TB Laboratory at the Lung Center of the Philippines "that can detect multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in record time may revolutionize TB treatment."

15 Nov 2011

Cambodia set to distribute more than 2.5M mosquito nets by end of year

"Millions of Cambodians are set to receive insecticide-treated mosquito nets as part of a government-led effort to mitigate the risk of malaria and dengue fever," IRIN reports.

14 Nov 2011

Annual European CDC report says infectious diseases, drug resistance are concerns

"Europe's health is suffering, with around 80,000 cases of tuberculosis infection a year and serious problems with measles, HIV and threats from 'superbug' infections, an annual health report" from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said Thursday, Reuters reports.

11 Nov 2011

Translating science into service delivery to achieve Clinton's vision of an AIDS-free generation

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby responds to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's speech on HIV/AIDS given at the NIH on Wednesday, in which she called for an "AIDS-free generation," writing that "her vision was an affirmation of the progress made over the past decade, and a mandate to redouble our efforts with global partners to bring the latest scientific advances to bear in order to save lives."

11 Nov 2011

PlusNews examines difficulties in diagnosing, treating MDR-TB in children

PlusNews examines the difficulties in diagnosing and treating multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in children, writing, "With weaker immune systems, children who contract TB -- most often from parents -- progress to active disease in about a year. But just how many children are affected is not known as there is almost no research into children and MDR-TB -- and very little useful guidance on how to treat them."

10 Nov 2011

Global Fund committed to transparency in shift from emergency response to sustainable funding mechanism

Natasha Bilimoria, president of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, writes about a report issued in September by an independent high-level panel commissioned by the Global Fund in a post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, saying the report "focuses on the Global Fund's transition from a highly effective emergency response to the three pandemics, to a long-term sustainable mechanism for ensuring that its lifesaving work can continue in times of limited resources."

9 Nov 2011

Indian researchers receive grant to develop 'E-Nose' for quick TB diagnosis

"Researchers are developing an electronic nose that would sniff out tuberculosis (TB) like a Breathalyzer detects alcohol, putting an end to current time-consuming tests and possibly saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year," the Globe and Mail reports (D'Aliesio, 11/7).

9 Nov 2011

Five-year results from Abbott's HUMIRA ATLAS study on ankylosing spondylitis

Abbott today announced five-year results from the open-label extension of the ATLAS study, which evaluated the long-term impact of treatment with HUMIRA (adalimumab) on disease activity, including spinal mobility in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.

8 Nov 2011

Electronic Nose can diagnose TB in symptomatic patients

A new hand-held device called the Electronic Nose, which has the potential to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) in symptomatic patients, was awarded a $950,000 grant from Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today to support further development and testing of this ground-breaking technology.

7 Nov 2011

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA Phase 3 study on axSpA

Abbott today announced results from the Phase 3 ABILITY-1 study of HUMIRA (adalimumab) in patients with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

7 Nov 2011

Largest-ever implementation study on kala-azar in Asia

A comprehensive four-year project including over 10,000 patients in clinical and pharmacovigilance studies for diagnosis and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also known as kala-azar) in India and Bangladesh was launched by an international consortium formed last month to support control and elimination strategies in both countries, where the concentration of disease burden is among the world's highest.

7 Nov 2011

UCB to sponsor several key sets of Cimzia data on RA at ACR 2011 meeting

UCB, a leading biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of immunology treatment and research, is proud to sponsor several key sets of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) data at the American College of Rheumatology's 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, November 5-9.

7 Nov 2011

Study shows decline in number of TB cases across America during 2009

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the U.S. is reported as being on the decrease, however untreated infected people act as a reservoir for disease. Any pool of the world's population harboring this disease gives cause for concern, especially since the BCG vaccine is only 70-80% effective at best. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health, shows that in 2009 the number of cases of TB reported across America was much lower than that recorded in previous years.

7 Nov 2011

New long-term data from Abbott's HUMIRA plus methotrexate Phase 3 studies on RA

Abbott today announced results from long-term open-label extensions of the PREMIER and DE019 Phase 3 studies, which evaluated HUMIRA (adalimumab) plus methotrexate (MTX) for up to eight years in patients with early moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and up to 10 years in patients with long-standing moderate to severe RA, respectively.

7 Nov 2011

Appropriate tests, treatments needed for pediatric TB

In this post on the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog, Grania Brigden, the tuberculosis adviser to the Medecins Sans Frontieres Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, writes that while "[t]his year's Global Tuberculosis Control report shows the beginning of a decline in the global tuberculosis epidemic, ... there is a stark lack of data for children," continuing, "Without a clear estimate of the magnitude of the problem it is hard to motivate governments, researchers and donors."

5 Nov 2011

Experts look to India to develop accurate, affordable TB diagnostics

SciDev.Net examines tuberculosis (TB) in India, which has the world's highest TB burden, and some experts' hopes that researchers in the country can develop accurate and affordable diagnostic test kits.

4 Nov 2011

Global Fund releases additional audits as part of internal investigation

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Tuesday posted the results of several internal audits, showing "that 12 more probes had turned up an additional $20 million of mismanagement, alleged fraud and misspending," the Associated Press/CBSNews.com reports.

4 Nov 2011