CHAI is pleased to share news today from MedAccess of measures to increase access to a patient-friendly preventative therapy for tuberculosis (TB).
The volume guarantee agreement between MedAccess and Macleods Pharmaceuticals, in partnership with CHAI and Unitaid, will support increased access to 3HP, a short-course treatment regimen to prevent the development of active TB.
This includes the extension of 3HP availability at $15 per patient course under a package that is available to 138 low- and middle-income countries.
This agreement furthers the efforts of CHAI and the IMPAACT4TB project, led by the Aurum Institute, to improve affordable and reliable access to shorter, more patient-friendly medicines for TB prevention.
“As a result of this innovative partnership, countless people in low- and middle-income countries will now have access to treatment that is more affordable and easier to take,” said David Ripin, Chief Science Officer and Executive Vice President for Infectious Diseases at CHAI. “Effectively treating tuberculosis before patients become ill significantly reduces the spread of this deadly disease, bringing us one step closer to elimination.”
Why 3HP?
Worldwide, an estimated 1.7 billion people live with latent TB, usually without symptoms. Without treatment, five to 10 percent of these people will develop active TB in their lifetimes. 3HP treats latent TB with a once weekly dose of isoniazid (INH) and rifapentine (RPT) taken for three months. This significantly reduces the pill burden and treatment duration for patients, increasing the likelihood they complete the full treatment cycle.
