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Partners

The Lilly MDR-TB Partnership is a public-private initiative led by Eli Lilly and Company, together with 17 global health and development organizations, academic institutions, and private companies, to address the expanding crisis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The partnership is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to fight MDR-TB by providing access to medicines, transferring manufacturing technology, training healthcare workers, raising awareness of the disease, and providing resources for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of people living with MDR-TB.

Aspen Pharmacare

Africa's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and the technology transfer partner in South Africa, Aspen Pharmacare produces both cycloserine and capreomycin for the treatment of MDR-TB. Aspen sold its first batch of cycloserine in 2006 and is now producing cycloserine at a newly constructed facility in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It will commence the commercial manufacturing of capreomycin at this facility in 2009.

Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA, Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.

Harvard University and Partners in Health (PIH)

Harvard University and the nonprofit Partners in Health have established a Center of Excellence for MDR-TB treatment and training in Tomsk, Russia, where several hundred doctors, nurses and health care workers from cities all over Russia and the former Soviet Union have been trained in the prevention, detection and treatment of MDR-TB.

Hisun Pharmaceutical

One of the largest bulk active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in China, Hisun Pharmaceutical is a Lilly transfer of technology partner. Hisun produced its first batch of the active ingredient for capreomycin in 2006 and is currently building a facility to manufacture the capreomycin final product.

International Council of Nurses (ICN)

A federation of national associations representing nurses in more than 130 countries, ICN has launched a global project to equip nurses with the knowledge and tools for detection, treatment, and management of TB/MDR-TB. ICN has published a set of guidelines and has established an online Global TB/MDR-TB Resource Centre for 13 million nurses working worldwide. In 2005, ICN launched its first TB/MDR-TB Train-the-Trainer program for nurses in South Africa and the Philippines. ICN is also implementing the program in Angola, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Russia, Swaziland, and Uganda.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

The world's largest humanitarian organization, IFRC has implemented TB-patient support programs aimed at the most vulnerable populations, including homeless people and those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction. These programs include public awareness and anti-stigma campaigns, community outreach, psychological support, and food aid. IFRC has started expanding its activities in more than 14 countries, including Kazakhstan, Romania, and Uzbekistan. www.ifrc.org

International Hospital Federation (IHF)

The International Hospital Federation (IHF), a non-governmental organization, has developed a comprehensive TB and MDR-TB control training manual for hospital managers that is available to its membership network of some 40,000 public and private hospitals and clinics in some 100 countries. The goal of the manual is to provide health care facility and hospital managers with an overview of the basics of TB control together with the appropriate expertise and necessary resources, to clarify the roles and skills they need to enable them to make informed decisions about the management of TB patients and participate effectively in developing and maintaining a successful and sustainable TB and MDR-TB control programme in their facilities. The manual, which was pilot-tested in South Africa in 2006, will also serve as a valuable guide for infection control for patients and staff, helping to fight a growing health threat in hospitals and clinics in developing countries.

Purdue University

Purdue University has been assisting in the transfer of technology by training partner companies in Good Manufacturing Practices. The Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy and Contract Manufacturing is a cGMP pharmaceutical manufacturer owned by Purdue Research Foundation and is active in the manufacturing of drug and placebo for clinical trials, formulation development, analytical support, and consulting on regulatory compliance. The Chao Center will manufacture Seromycin for the United States and Canada.

RESULTS Educational Fund

The RESULTS Educational Fund is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. Working with activists in the U.S. and in affected countries around the world, RESULTS advocates for increased resources and action to stop TB.

Shasun Chemicals and Drugs

An API manufacturer and the technology transfer partner in India, Shasun Chemicals and Drugs dispatched its first order for the active ingredient of cycloserine in 2006 to Aspen Pharmacare, which formulates the finished product. Shasun received registration approval for the cycloserine active ingredient in the UK and is working with Purdue University to gain FDA Approval, which is expected by mid 2009. Shasun also has partnered with a local hospital and Rotary International to develop a TB screening program.

SIA International/Biocom

One of Russia's largest pharmaceutical companies and Lilly's newest technology transfer partner (since 2006), SIA will start producing cycloserine in 2008 and package capastat in 2009/2010.

Stop TB Partnership

The Stop TB Partnership was established in 2000 to realize the goal of eliminating TB as a public health problem and ultimately to obtain a world free of TB. It comprises a network of international organizations, countries, donors from the public and private sectors, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and individuals that have expressed an interest in working together to achieve this goal. Stop TB has launched an award for reporting on TB and is leading a global campaign featuring well known Stop TB Ambassadors to raise awareness on the disease.

TB Alert

TB Alert is the only British nonprofit working solely on fighting TB in the UK and overseas. It was set up by people who felt that there should be a greater response in Britain to the resurgent threat of tuberculosis - already declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1993. TB Alert has developed leaflets for patients with MDR-TB and is implementing a project for the training of community volunteers in slums in India.

The Advocacy Partnership

The Advocacy Partnership plays an active role in raising awareness about TB and MDR-TB. It circulates country-specific information about TB/MDR-TB, publishes self-help materials, and offers one-to-one patient mentoring through its Tuberculosis Survival Project website.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC has developed a cutting-edge laboratory information management system for MDR-TB, which will be implemented in Russia. This new system will enable counting, monitoring, and reporting of confirmed TB cases, including drug-resistant strains, more quickly, easily, and accurately than with traditional methods.

World Economic Forum (WEF)

An independent organization representing the world's 1,000 leading companies, WEF is committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships that shape global, regional, and private sector agendas. The WEF has developed a TB and MDR-TB Toolkit for the Workplace, which has been distributed in India, and is working in adapting it for South Africa and China.

World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. The WHO provides technical support to countries to set up policies and programs for prevention and control of MDR-TB, and supports training on MDR-TB management. WHO also supports drug resistance surveillance and laboratory strengthening, as well as the implementation of new tools for recording and reporting purposes.

World Medical Association (WMA)

The World Medical Association (WMA) is the independent confederation of national medical associations from more than 80 countries and represents more than eight million physicians. Acting on behalf of patients and physicians, the WMA endeavours to achieve the highest possible standards of medical care, ethics, education, and health-related human rights for all people. The WMA is developing a free, web-based MDR-TB self-study course for physicians. The online course will provide access to the latest international protocols for MDR-TB prevention, treatment, and management. WMA is also active in the provision of training and is developing a declaration on ethics in TB.

Adapted with permission from Lilly MDR-TB website February 2009