Georgia becomes first recipient of free treatment through an innovative drug donation partnership between USAID and Janssen Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen).
Patients in Georgia suffering from deadly strains of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) will soon have access to potentially life-saving medication thanks to a collaboration between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Janssen. MDR-TB is a form of TB that is resistant to at least two of the four most commonly used anti-TB medicines.
Georgia is classified as a high MDR-TB burden country with 48 percent of known TB cases identified as multidrug-resistant. Nearly 200 patients in Georgia will begin receiving the tuberculosis drug, SIRTURO® (bedaquiline), as part of their treatment program for MDR-TB. Bedaquiline is the first new drug to treat TB in more than 40 years and can bring new hope to patients fighting MDR-TB with little to no other treatment options.
In Georgia, USAID-funded programs focus on improving early detection of TB, strengthening TB and MDR-TB control through technical assistance and capacity building, and supporting research and innovation.