[video] Transforming TB Diagnosis | Dr Madhukar Pai's guest lecture at KMC

TB Elimination: India can lead the way

Madhukar Pai and Barry R. Bloom
(First published in The Huffington Post)
As the Prime Minister of India speaks to the US Congress this week, a neglected epidemic threatens India's progress. It's not Ebola or Zika - but rather tuberculosis, an ancient disease that silently kills one Indian every 90 seconds. 

Tuberculosis control needs a complete and patient-centric solution

Dr Madhukar Pai, Prashant Yadav and Ravi Anupindi
Whether it is mobile phone service or vacation travel, good businesses know that success depends on providing a complete and customer-centric solution. Should patients with tuberculosis not be offered a complete solution that is patient-centred? After all, millions are affected and a large market at the base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) remains unserved.

Preventing an epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis in India

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of India's oldest and perhaps most neglected public health challenges. It is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air. Chronic cough (for more than 2 weeks) and fever are the most important symptoms of TB. When a person with TB coughs, TB bacteria get ejected into the air. They can then get inhaled by another person who can become newly infected. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, lymph nodes, abdomen, or the spine. In most cases, TB is treatable and curable. However, unlike most common infectious diseases that require a few days of antibiotic treatment, TB requires several antibiotics and long-term treatment for cure. 

TB diagnostic innovations: Can India take the lead?

No country has more cases of tuberculosis (TB) than India. Research from India played a critical role in the development of the global strategy to stop TB.Yet, Indian industry and academics have not developed any new tools (diagnostics, drugs or vaccines) for TB. Why has India has failed to innovate in TB research and development? To understand this better, we recently organized a conference at St John's Research Institute (SJRI) in Bangalore, India. For the first time, this meeting brought together over 200 representatives from industry, government, donors, academia, civil society and the media to discuss what it takes to innovate in TB diagnostics in India and to move from importation and imitation to innovation.The goal was to stimulate industry interest and investments in TB innovations.