Addressing the Threat of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Realistic Assessment of the Challenge Workshop Summary

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death in the world today, with 4,500 people dying from the disease every day. Many cases of TB can be cured by available antibiotics, but some TB is resistant to multiple drugs-a major and growing threat worldwide. The Institute of Medicine's Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation hosted a workshop on November 5, 2008, to address the mounting concern of drug-resistant TB. The session brought together a wide range of international experts to discuss what is known and not known about this growing threat, and to explore possible solutions. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 The Global Spread of Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis 3 MDR TB Transmission, HIV Coinfection, and Transmission Control 4 Diagnosis 5 Infrastructure and Health Care Delivery Systems 6 Global Systems for the Purchase and Delivery of TB Drugs 7 Research on the Global Control of TB: Understanding the Role of Drugs, Vaccines, and Funding 8 Strategies for Confronting the Global MDR and XDR TB Crisis References Appendix A: Agenda Appendix B: Participant Biographies Appendix C: Partners In Health White Paper - Stemming the Tide of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Major Barriers to Addressing the Growing Epidemic