Medicines
Antibiotics for Tuberculosis
Over 11 million people across the world are affected by tuberculosis (TB). And while many people infected with tuberculosis will never have any symptoms, 10% will develop active TB at some point in their lives. It’s a disease that causes extreme suffering and death, but it is curable with long-term treatment.
In 2010, MSF admitted 30,090 people for TB treatment. Patients receive an initial treatment of a combination of antibiotic drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol) over a period of 2 months. These drugs, developed over 50 years ago, remain the only available ones on the world market to treat tuberculosis, a neglected disease. While MSF treats people with tuberculosis worldwide, the disease is especially pervasive in Malawi, Mozambique, the Russian Federation, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
