MSF: Pediatric formulations of lifesaving TB medicines must be more widely affordable and available

Dr. Mabel Morales, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders’ (MSF) medical coordinator in India, said of the new guidance:

“The WHO’s updated guidance is an important step forward for younger children with drug-resistant TB to receive all-oral treatment without painful injectable drugs. However, this new guidance will remain a distant reality for children unless access barriers to pediatric formulations of bedaquiline and delamanid are overcome, allowing them to be rolled out by national TB programs in all high burden countries.

“The high price of delamanid of $1,700 per treatment course has significantly limited access in many countries. In India, negotiations with Otsuka and Viatris have been unsuccessful, with the manufacturers refusing to lower the price to the $942 currently being offered to South Africa by Viatris. The price of pediatric formulations of bedaquiline also remain too high.

“It’s time to smash the status quo; pharmaceutical corporations Johnson & Johnson and Otsuka must open up to generic supply and lower prices in order for TB programs to scale up all-oral treatment regimens. Governments of high burden countries must also take measures to overcome patent barriers and allow production of these lifesaving drugs with the help of generic manufacturers.

“As treatment providers, we see kids with drug-resistant TB on an almost daily basis in our independent clinic in Mumbai. We no longer want to see these children suffer the terrible side effects of the older and painful injectable drugs when safer and more effective oral medicines are available elsewhere.”