Facing the Reality of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in India

An estimated 8.8 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) in 2010 and 1.4 million died from the disease. Although antibiotics to treat TB were developed in the 1950s and are effective against a majority of TB cases, resistance to these antibiotics has emerged over the years, resulting in the growing spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB. Due to challenges in timely and accurate diagnosis of drug-resistant TB, length and tolerability of treatment regimens, and expense of second-line anti-TB drugs, effectively controlling the disease requires complex public health interventions. The IOM Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation held three international workshops to gather information from local experts around the world on the threat of drug resistant TB and how the challenges it presents can be met. Workshops were held in South Africa and Russia in 2010. The third workshop was held April 18-19, 2011, in New Delhi, India, in collaboration with the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Council of Medical Research. The aim of the workshop was to highlight key challenges to controlling the spread of drug-resistant strains of TB in India and to discuss strategies for advancing and integrating local and international efforts to prevent and treat drug-resistant TB. This document summarizes the workshop. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 Drug-Resistant TB in India 3 The Global Burden of Drug-Resistant TB 4 Preventing Transmission of Drug-Resistant TB 5 Detecting Drug Resistance and Strengthening Laboratory Capacity 6 Addressing TB and Drug-Resistant TB in Vulnerable Populations 7 Combating Drug-Resistant TB Through PublicPrivate Collaboration and Innovative Approaches 8 Confronting Challenges to the Supply Chain for SecondLine Drugs 9 Creating a Blueprint for Action References Appendix A: Workshop Agenda Appendix B: Summary of a Joint Meeting of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, and Indian Biomedical Research Agencies, Held April 20-21, 2011, New Delhi, India Appendix C: Participant Biographies