Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (Janssen) has announced it has entered into a
novel collaboration with the non-profit organisation FIND to step-up
the fight against the public health threat of tuberculosis (TB) and
multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
The partnership draws on the
expertise of FIND and Janssen; in particular FIND’s innovative work in
increasing access to affordable diagnostic solutions; the capabilities
of Janssen Diagnostics - a global division specializing in diagnostics;
as well as Janssen’s experience in pharmaceuticals development and
innovative access models. The collaboration will focus on providing
increased access to molecular diagnostics tools for TB case detection
and MDR-TB diagnosis, and on ensuring accelerated access to effective
treatments.
This need to address early diagnosis was recently highlighted as one of the core components of the post-2015 End TB Strategy. The
inadequacy of current diagnostic solutions, particularly in terms of
point-of-care diagnosis, has been a crucial barrier to efforts to
contain the spread of TB infection, especially the more complex
drug-resistant strains, with around one in four cases of MDR-TB being
detected, and only 50 percent successfully treated.
Janssen and FIND will collaborate on a variety of projects with other partners, including developers and national TB control programs to close the gap in diagnosis and treatment.
