The Steering Group of the UK Coalition to Stop TB has now been formed and conducted their first meeting on 12 August 2010. During the first meeting a structural shake up of the Coalition took place whereby the working groups have now been disbanded and will be replaced by focal contacts for the key themes of: HIV-TB; TB in the UK; Resource Mobilisation; New Tools and Research with the purpose of forming ad Hoc ‘taskforces to tackle key activities coming up in the next few months. The Steering Group is currently in the process of developing a strategic work plan for the next six months (to May 2011), and will be introducing themselves, the strategic objectives and new work plan to members at the next quarterly meeting on 6 October 2010.

Steering Group members as of August 2010:
• Becky Owens (Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation)
• Mike Smith (APPG on Global TB)
• Aparna Barua (RESULTS UK) – vice Chair
• Morris Lab (Target TB) – Chair
• Mike Mandelbaum (TB Alert)
• Dr. Vanessa Graham (Individual)
• Kieron Hardman (Genus Pharmaceuticals Ltd)

For further information please contact the Coalition secretariat through aparna.barua@results.org.uk

24th March 2010 sees the celebration of WORLD TB DAY! With the launch of the UK Coalition to Stop TB’s new campaign ’TB: A Disease of the Past? Action Now!’ being launched today, the coalition aims to challenge the UK Government on the eve of a general election, to prioritise tuberculosis on the domestic and global health agendas, and take the lead in the international response to fight TB.

Gordon Brown MP, Leader of the Labour Party, Prime Minister

“Tuberculosis kills 5,000 people every day in the world’s poorest countries. But together we can stop it. The UK is providing unprecedented support to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, which has already helped to treat 5.4 million people with TB. As well as providing treatment we must stay ahead of the disease as it evolves and builds resistance. That’s why we’re investing £30 million to support the discovery and development of new and more effective drugs. We are determined to beat Tuberculosis.”

David Cameron MP, Leader of the Conservative Party

“World TB Day 2010 should prompt the world to focus on the urgent steps needed to reverse the spread of this disease. We need to build strong health systems in developing countries, tackle HIV/AIDS, and work to counter the growing threat of drug-resistance. In a globalised world, action to tackle killer diseases like TB, in the UK and abroad, is both a moral imperative and an urgent national security priority.”

Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party

“The rising incidence of TB, especially of drug-resistant forms of the disease, both at home and around the world is truly worrying. It’s the world’s most vulnerable people who suffer most from the disease – particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa and those living with HIV/AIDS. It is a scandal that, despite some progress, the Millennium Development Goal to halt the spread of TB will not be met on current form.

We have an enormous moral responsibility to people in developing countries; this is why we support the Global Plan to Stop TB. We’d make sure the UK pays its fair share towards implementing the plan. We also recognise the link between HIV/AIDS and TB – we would make sure DFID takes a comprehensive approach to addressing these diseases and would continue to promote research into new diagnostic tools, treatments and vaccines.”

With only five years remaining to meet the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), almost 5,000 people will continue to die from tuberculosis every day. Now is the time to take action!

At 12pm on 24th March 2010 the UK Coalition to Stop TB delivered their TB Election Asks to No.10 Downing Street. Kibble Ngalauka, Executive Director of the Sue Ryder Foundation, Malawi and Aparna Barua, coordinator of the UK Coalition to Stop TB were present alongside Clare Shaw from Target Tuberculosis and Mike Smith, coordinator of the APPG on Global TB.

In November last year, with support from UK Coalition to Stop TB members, Dr Mark Porter recorded a radio programme focusing on tuberculosis in the UK.

Each week on ‘Case Notes’, Dr Porter explores a different medical topic with reports and input from experts.  RESULTS UK, TB Alert and the NHS were involved with recording this TB focused episode on 18^th November in Leeds. Interviewees included Natalie Winter, a patient advocate as well as TB specialists Rachel Dukes, Dr Ebere Okereke and Dr John Watson.

Case Notes will broadcast the TB episode on Tuesday 12th January at 9pm and Wednesday 13th January at 4.30pm.

For more information see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pkbmp

A report issued by the Stop TB Partnership finds that although important progress was made from 2006 through 2008 in reaching the milestones of the Global Plan to Stop TB many obstacles still remain.

DOTS, the cornerstone of WHO’s Stop TB Strategy, is available for 97% of the world’s population. Some 155 countries have adopted national strategic plans for TB control, including all 22 high-burden countries. The Global Plan’s treatment success milestone for 2008 of 83% has been surpassed — treatment success is now up to 85% worldwide.

Testing for drug resistance has increased almost threefold, and the proportion of people diagnosed with MDR-TB approved by the Green Light Committee increased from 7.3% in 2006 to 48% in 2008. Many countries have increased national collaborative activities to address HIV among people diagnosed with TB. Between 2005 and 2007 the percentage of TB patients tested for HIV in African countries with a high prevalence of HIV rose from 14% to 41%.

On the research front, nine vaccine candidates are in Phase I clinical trials, and by end 2008 three had entered Phase II trials. These are impressive gains, since the Plan calls for at least 20 vaccine candidates in Phase I trials by 2015. In diagnosis, new techniques have been introduced to referral laboratories that produce results in a few hours instead of weeks. On treatment, clinical trials by Stop TB partners on gatifloaxacin and moxifloaxacin may provide evidence for a shortened regimen for treating TB.

Despite these strides many obstacles remain. The detection of new smear-positive TB cases has slowed, suggesting that the 2010 milestone of a 78% detection rate will not be achieved unless countries take rapid and innovative actions. The great majority of people with multidrug-resistant TB are still not receiving effective treatment; and countries have not made sufficient progress in screening HIV-positive people for TB or increasing the numbers of people on preventive therapy.

Research efforts need to accelerate to develop and evaluate tests to detect active TB at the first point of care; to develop a robust pipeline of new drug candidates; and to reach the goal of a new vaccine by 2015.

Funding remains the most serious challenge. From 2006-2008, the financing needs for funding TB control worldwide was short by $US 1 billion per year.  The gap for research and development was approximately US$ 0.5 billion for 2007.

Photo courtesy Target TB

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Board of Directors has made an overall approval of grants with a two-year commitment of US$2.4 billion.

It is the ninth time the Global Fund Board approved new proposals to support programmes fighting the three diseases. The total two-year value of the programmes recommended for funding was US$2.4 billion; the second largest ever approved by the Global Fund, following a US$2.75 billion round in 2008. The Global Fund has now approved a total funding of US$18.4 billion for 144 countries since it was created in 2002.

“These grants enable countries around the world to address some of the main problems they are struggling with every day,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopian Health Minister and Chair of the Global Fund Board. “These grants are based on the countries’ own needs and priorities and they are therefore a particularly effective source of financing.”

TB proposals did particularly well in Round 9 and received the highest level of funding to date – up to $US 1.5 billion over five years. A total of 34 new TB proposals were approved. Round 9 will provide for three times as much funding for drug-resistant TB as the previous round. The funding will support measures including securing adequate laboratory facilities and infection control measures and prevention of further emergence of drug resistance by ensuring that the essential elements of DOTS are in place.

The Global Fund Board decided to launch its next round of grants in May 2010. This round of funding will be considered for approval at a Board meeting to be held some time between November 2010 and January 2011.

“We are seeing a tremendous demand for funding,” said Michel Kazatchkine, the Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Countries are showing that they are able to effectively turn large amounts of money from donors into prevention, care and treatment of AIDS, TB and malaria, which in turn will save millions of lives. It also means that we need significantly more resources in the future. We may not be able to continue approving such amounts of financing and see continued progress in health in the coming years unless donor countries scale up their funding even further than what they have done so far.”

Sir John Crofton, the man who pioneered life-saving treatment for tuberculosis sufferers has died in Edinburgh at the age of 97.

Sir John led a team of scientists which found a cure for TB by using a combination of three antibiotics.

In tributes following his death, he has been called one of the greatest physicians of the 20th century.

His work in combating TB – which came to be known as the “Edinburgh Method” – has saved the lives of thousands of people, and improved the health of millions more across the world.

Never one to slow down, almost to the very end of his life Sir John continued as an inspiring worker in the field of tuberculosis and tobacco control. Sir John was Honorary President of UK Coalition to Stop TB member TB Alert, for whom he fundraised tirelessly.

Click here to read a full obituary.