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WCLH 2015: TB Treatment Advancing, but Not Reaching All Who Need It

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment has seen some promising recent advances -- including the promise of shorter regimens for multidrug-resistant TB and better therapies for children -- but still not enough is being done to provide access to prevention and treatment for all who need it, according to presentations at the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health taking place this week in Cape Town.

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EACS 2015: Newest MDR-TB Drug Prices Could Fall by Up to 95% Through Generic Production

The cost of newer drugs for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) could be cut by up to 95% if generic production of patented products could be achieved in the same way as for antiretroviral drugs, according to a study presented at the 15th European AIDS Conference last month in Barcelona. Price reductions might permit a 10-fold increase in the number of people who can be treated for MDR-TB within current budgets, without any new funding, the study suggests.

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EACS 2015: 3-Month Isoniazid/Pyrazinamide Regimen Prevents TB in People with HIV

A daily 3-month regimen of isoniazid and pyrazinamide is just as effective at preventing the development of active tuberculosis (TB) in people living with HIV as a 6-month course of isoniazid alone, according to findings from a Russian study presented by Zinaida Zagdyn at the 15th European AIDS Conference last week in Barcelona.

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EACS 2015: TB Death Rate 4-Fold Higher in Eastern Europe Due to Lack of Treatment after Diagnosis

People living with HIV in Eastern Europe who develop tuberculosis (TB) are 4 times more likely to die within a year when compared to similar patients in Western and Southern Europe, or Latin America, a large international study presented at the 15th European AIDS Conference last month in Barcelona has shown. The study found that even after taking into account the prevalence of resistance to first-line TB drugs and receipt of appropriate treatment, people in the other regions were around 70% less likely to die during the year following a TB diagnosis than those in Eastern Europe.

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IAS 2015: Presumptive Treatment of TB in Advanced HIV No Better than ART and Isoniazid

Giving treatment for tuberculosis (TB) to all people with very advanced HIV disease at the time they start antiretroviral therapy (ART), before a laboratory diagnosis of TB -- so-called empiric treatment -- does not reduce the risk of death compared to giving ART and isoniazid preventive therapy, according to findings presented by Mina Hosseinipour at the 8th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention this week in Vancouver.

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