New Data Offer Sobering Insights Into the Significance of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Renowned physician, leading global TB drug-development representative to join Lilly infectious disease expert to offer insight into disease prevalence, treatment challenges, and new global partnerships.
WHAT:
Newly released statistics from the World Health Organization reveal:
- A total of 300,000 cases; most exist where HIV is spreading fastest
- 79% of MDR TB are “super strains” resistant to 3 of 4 first-line drugs
- TB patients in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union are 10 times more likely to have MDR-TB.
On March 24, 2004, World TB Day, Eli Lilly and Company will be hosting a media briefing conference call to discuss the significance of this report and the growing tuberculosis epidemic. Experts will also offer their insights into treatment challenges and a new global partnership to address multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
WHO:
Participants on the phone briefing include:
- Dr. Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Division of Social Medicine and Health Inequalities at Brigham and Women's Hospital and cofounder of Partners in Health, affiliates of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Farmer is a world-renowned expert on tuberculosis and infectious diseases, whose work serving the poorest citizens in the embattled nation of Haiti is profiled in a recently released book titled, Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder.
- Dr. Maria Freire, chief executive officer of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. Under Dr. Freire's leadership, the Global Alliance is building a pipeline of promising drug candidates to deliver faster-acting and affordable drugs that will shorten treatment and reduce the incidence of resistance. Dr. Freire will be joining the call from New Delhi, India, this year's official site of STOP-TB World TB Day activities.
- Dr. Gail Cassell, vice president, scientific affairs and distinguished research fellow, Eli Lilly and Company. Dr. Cassell is a world-renowned infectious diseases researcher who helped establish Lilly's multi-drug resistant tuberculosis initiative. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 9:15 a.m. (eastern time)
WHERE:
Dial-in phone conference.
HOW:
Reporters can access the media briefing conference call by dialing:
- United States: (888) 428-4480
- International: (612) 288-0318
About Eli Lilly:
Lilly, 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, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com
About the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development:
The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership accelerating the discovery and/or development of affordable, new anti-TB drugs that will shorten treatment, be effective against multi-drug resistant strains, and improve treatment of latent infection. The TB Alliance builds a portfolio of promising drug candidates, manages their development through cooperative deals with public and private partners, and provides staged funding and expert scientific and management guidance.