Africa: WHO Puts New DR-TB Drug on Essential Medicines List

Sydelle Willow Smith/MSF
(file photo).
26 July 2023
TB Alliance (New York)
press release

Pretomanid's Addition to the WHO's Essential Medicine List Enhances Access to All Oral, Six-Month DR-TB Therapy

 

Statement from Mel Spigelman, MD, CEO, TB Alliance
July 26, 2023

"The addition of pretomanid to the Essential Medicines List (EML) of the World Health Organization (WHO) is a critical step towards optimizing universal access to the BPaL and BPaLM regimens for patients suffering from drug-resistant (DR) TB.

"In 2022, BPaL and BPaLM were added to WHO's guidelines for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis.  Multiple countries, however, utilize the EML to prioritize the medicines used in their national health care systems. With this listing, the novel six-month regimens receive a further endorsement on the path to providing improved outcomes for all eligible patients, replacing older, toxic, and often ineffective combinations that required up to 18 months of treatment – sometimes longer.

"We are heartened by the fact that 109 countries have already procured pretomanid. As we continue to develop the next generation of TB treatments, TB Alliance remains dedicated to ensuring that every treatment we develop is accessible to every person who needs them—this listing is a major milestone in that process."

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