tuberculosis

recommendation for an all-oral 6-month regimen of bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin (BPaLM) in people with MDR/RR-TB.

treatment for the disease, and the treatment success rate for those that do receive treatment remains low, at 60% globally.

SWITZERLAND — The World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated consolidated guidelines on the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), which include significant improvements in treatment options for people with Multidrugresistant/Rifampin-resistant (MDR/ RR-TB). The guidelines include a new

TB is the second-leading infectious disease killer globally, after COVID-19, and an estimated 1.7 billion are living with latent TB infection — or are at risk of developing TB at some point. The newly recommended BPaLM regimen improves outcomes, significantly shortens treatment duration, and thus significantly improves quality of life for people with MDR/RRTB. WHO is also recommending a second shorter treatment, BPaL, for people with documented resistance to fluoroquinolones, known as preextensively drug-resistant TB (preXDR-TB).

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2022 Global tuberculosis (TB) report highlighted that still only one in three people with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is getting

MDR-TB necessitates a longer treatment course than drug-sensitive TB, particularly in patients with TB resistant to multiple antibiotic classes.

TB IS THE SECONDLEADING INFECTIOUS DISEASE KILLER GLOBALLY, AFTER COVID-19, AND AN ESTIMATED 1.7 BILLION ARE LIVING WITH LATENT TB INFECTION — OR ARE AT RISK OF DEVELOPING TB AT SOME POINT

USA – Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel stated at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting that the company intends to build on its exponential growth during the pandemic by expanding its operations globally over the next few years.

In December, Moderna announced a 10-year partnership with the UK government to invest in mRNA R&D in the UK and build an Innovation and Technology Centre capable of producing up to 250 million vaccines per year. Construction will begin in early 2023, with the goal of producing the first mRNA vaccine there in 2025. Furthermore, the UK Health Security Agency plans to work with Moderna for quick vaccine development, supporting the G7 mission to “get from variant to vaccine in 100 days.” The biotech also intends to expand its manufacturing capacity elsewhere. In the fall, the company purchased land in Canada to construct a manufacturing facility as part of a similar 10-year partnership with the Canadian government to strengthen the company’s pandemic response.

Moderna has also begun construction of similar facilities in Australia as part of a separate 10-year partnership, and will soon begin construction in Kenya. The Australian facility, which will be built in Melbourne, will have the capacity to produce up to 100 million mRNA vaccine doses per year, including those for respiratory infections. The new Kenyan facility will be able to produce 500 million vaccine doses per year. Similar agreements are also being planned for the United States and Switzerland.