Health Management Seminar: TB or not TB: improving access to novel tuberculosis technologies in India
TB or not TB: improving access to novel tuberculosis technologies in India
Prof Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD
Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health
Director of McGill Global Health Programs
Associate Director of the McGill International TB Centre
Friday March 18th, 2016 - 11:00 – 1:00 PM
Bronfman Bldg., Rm. 310
Abstract
TB continues to kill over 1.5 million people every year, and India accounts for 25% of the world’s TB burden. To curb the epidemic, we will need to diagnose TB without long delays, and make sure patients take the full course of anti-tuberculosis therapy. Thankfully, new technologies have emerged. We now have a novel, molecular test called Xpert MTB/RIF that can rapidly detect TB, including drug-resistance, within 2 hours. Over 15 million Xpert tests have been performed worldwide, at subsidized prices to the public sector. Unfortunately, subsidized prices are not available to the private sector even in poor countries. Thanks to the Initiative for Promoting Affordable and Quality TB Tests (IPAQT) in India, the price of the Xpert test was reduced by 50% in the private market, and over 200,000 patients have benefited. The IPAQT model will be presented as a case study.
Speaker Bio
Madhu serves as a Consultant to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He serves on the STAG-TB committee of WHO, Geneva; Scientific Advisory Committee of FIND, Geneva; and Access Advisory Committee of TB Alliance, New York. He is on the editorial boards of Lancet Infectious Diseases, PLoS Medicine, PLoS ONE, International Journal of TB and Lung Disease, among others. His research is mainly focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, especially in high-burden countries like India and South Africa. His research is supported by grant funding from the Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is recipient of the Union Scientific Prize, Chanchlani Global Health Research Award, and Haile T. Debas Prize.
A light lunch will be served at 12:30
