Otsuka Announces Worldwide Access Plan for Delamanid with Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility

Munich (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Innovative public-private partnership opens access to delamanid, a
recently approved medication in the European Union, Japan and the
Republic of Korea, for the treatment of multidrug-resistant
tuberculosis (MDR-TB), to more than 100 low- and middle-income
countries that may procure anti-TB medications through GDF
- Agreement includes package of services and technical assistance to
help countries incorporate delamanid into their existing treatment
programmes
- MDR-TB remains a major global health concern with 480,000 people
infected each year and only a 50% treatment success rate[1]

Recognizing the immediate need for access to new therapeutic
options for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), Otsuka Novel Products
GmbH (Otsuka) today announced an ambitious new public-private
partnership with the Stop TB Partnership (Stop TB) to increase access
and scale-up treatment of delamanid (Deltyba(TM)) in low- and
middle-income countries.

Any country that is eligible for TB financing from the Global Fund
to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and follows World Health Organization
(WHO) guidelines for the proper management of MDR-TB in
quality-assured programs may apply to Stop TB's Global Drug Facility
(GDF) to incorporate delamanid into their national treatment
programmes. It is estimated that more than 100 countries may now be
eligible to access delamanid through the GDF.

"This agreement with the Stop TB Partnership is only the first
step in assuring wider, equitable access to delamanid," said Masuhiro
Yoshitake, managing director of Otsuka and TB Global Project leader.
"Otsuka is committed to working with all stakeholders in the TB
community to scale-up delamanid use in a rational way that supports
larger efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance."

"Our goal is to ensure all people with TB have access to the best
possible treatment. Until now, delamanid was not available for
procurement in low- and middle-income countries. We are hopeful that
this partnership is going to help give countries more tools and more
options to fight MDR-TB in their communities," said Dr Lucica Ditiu,
executive director of the Stop TB Partnership.

By establishing a formalized partnership that goes beyond the
supply of medicine, Otsuka and Stop TB will work more closely to
support communities with education, training, technical assistance,
and TB advocacy activities.

This partnership is only one component of Otsuka's "FighTBack
Initiative" which incorporates innovative research and development,
collaborative capacity building, responsible access to patients and