Geneva – One of Unitaid’s top priorities is supporting innovations to stop tuberculosis, with a new emphasis on blocking an emerging wave of multidrug-resistant forms of the disease. Since its inception, Unitaid has funded more than US$ 460 million in grants for TB, and has a slate of active TB grants worth nearly US$ 180 million.
In May, Unitaid solicited project proposals for better ways to confront multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. After careful review of the submissions, we have decided, for the immediate future, to concentrate our resources on Unitaid projects that are already under way.
The endTB project (2015-2019), for example, is showing progress in strengthening the market for new drugs to treat multidrug-resistant TB.
Comprising an observational study and a clinical trial of two new drugs, endTB has begun to demonstrate that accelerated access to those medicines can improve outcomes.
Supported by a US$ 60.3 million Unitaid grant, the project is taking place in 15 countries under the leadership of Partners in Health.
In the last few months, meanwhile, Unitaid granted US$ 117 million to four new projects designed to prevent, diagnose and treat latent, drug-resistant and paediatric TB in countries most affected by the disease.
Unitaid deeply appreciates the engagement of those who responded to this latest call for proposals. Although some of the projects were promising, they did not fully align with Unitaid’s strategy or contained elements that were not developed to the point that the organization could offer grant funding.
Unitaid expects ongoing TB projects to yield streams of evidence that will help set the stage for future calls for proposals.
