WHO sets up TB drug procurement agency

The World Health Organization has launched a new procurement agency toimprove access to tuberculosis drugs in developing countries. To be financed by donations, the Global TB Drug Facility will be a mechanism for ensuring increasing access to high-quality drugs, said WHO spokesman Ian Smith, reported by Reuters.

Drug shortages are a major problem for TB patients, he said, noting that only about 25% of patients worldwide are treated in the Directly-Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) program.

Also, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is to provide $10 million over five years for work being done under WHO auspices to develop TB diagnostic tests.