The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Carlos Morel to Chairman of its Board of Directors. Dr. Morel is the Director of the Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), a scientific institution dedicated to public health, biomedical research and development located in Brazil, a high TB burden country.
TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization searching for better, faster, and affordable cures for tuberculosis. TB is often thought of a disease of the past; however, it is still one of the world’s leading causes of death, killing 1.4 million people each year. The current TB treatment takes 6-30 months to cure patients and, because of the difficulty in adhering to such a complex regimen, noncompliance is fueling the development of increasingly resistant and more deadly strains.
“I’m so pleased to serve as Chairman of TB Alliance, which I helped start more than a decade ago,” says Dr. Morel. “I step into this role at a critical time in the organization’s evolution, where it faces unprecedented success in the development of its pipeline and is poised to deliver improved TB treatments."
Dr. Morel served as the TB Alliance’s first Chairman in 2000, and succeeds Dr. Bruce Carter, CEO of Immune Design, who completed his Board term limit. Dr. Morel has subsequently served additional terms on the TB Alliance Board of Directors, joining again in 2010. As a leader in neglected disease research and development, Dr. Morel brings significant experience to his post. He was Director of the World Health Organization’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) from 1998 to 2004 and helped create several global R&D programs for neglected diseases including the Medicines for Malaria Venture, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, as well as the TB Alliance. He also previously served as a Professor at the University of Brasilia in Brazil.
TB Alliance also announces the appointment of Dr. Jaap F. Broekmans as Vice-Chairman of its Board of Directors. Dr. Broekmans is currently Chair of WHO's Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement (since 2007) and Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. From 1987-2005, he was the Executive Director of KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation. He also served as the co-founder and inaugural vice-chair of the STOP TB Partnership and as the first Chairman of STAG-TB, WHO’s strategic technical advisory group on TB. He has served on the TB Alliance’s Board since 2009.
“We welcome this new leadership—both Dr. Morel and Dr. Broekmans are pioneers in the fields of TB and public health,” said Dr. Mel Spigelman, President and CEO, TB Alliance. “Their experience will be invaluable as we advance our mission from developing improved TB regimens to delivering them to those in need.”
TB Alliance would like to thank Dr. Bruce Carter for his dedication and excellence in serving the organization. Dr. Carter will continue to serve as an advisor to the organization.
About TB Alliance:
The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight tuberculosis. Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. The TB Alliance operates with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Irish Aid, UK aid, UNITAID, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Food and Drug Administration. For more information, please visit tballiance.org.
Contact:
For Media Inquiries:
Joanna Breitstein
TB Alliance
(917) 361-0683
Joanna.breitstein@tballiance.org