Bedaquiline is one of the new oral drugs used to treat TB. New dugs are essential for patients who have developed resistance to, or have adverse reactions, most of the older ones. In 2018, MSF started providing treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) to patients in Zhytomyr Oblast, in partnership with the Zhytomyr Regional TB Dispensary. Zhytomyr region has one of the highest rates of TB in Ukraine.
Letter |

Azerbaijan: Open Letter: CSOs request urgent action by Johnson & Johnson to improve equitable access to bedaquiline-based regimens in all countries with a high burden of tuberculosis

TUBERCULOSIS
Azerbaijan
IP_Letter_Azerbaijan CSOs_Collective letter JJ 12sept23_Sep2023_ENG
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Photo credit: Oksana Parafeniuk

Civil society organisations, communities affected by tuberculosis (TB), and partner institutions in Azerbaijan sent this open letter to the US pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson (J&J) requesting urgent action to improve equitable access to the lifesaving TB drug bedaquiline in Azerbaijan, and all other countries with a high burden of TB.

This letter follows letters with similar calls to J&J sent by Belarus’ national TB programme, Ukraine’s national TB programme, and TB activists and civil society from Moldova, Ukraine, and around the world.

This letter was sent on 12 September 2023, after an announcement made by the Stop TB Partnership/Global Drug Facility (GDF) about a deal with J&J for access to generic bedaquiline to a limited number of countries. As of 21 September 2023, 11:30 AM CET, Azerbaijan’s National TB Programme has not been included in the GDF/J&J deal.

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