BREAKING NEWS
Through Stop TB Partnership GDF, Eiken and HUMAN collaboration TB-LAMP, the WHO-recommended molecular test, reaches target price of US$6
02 March 2020, Geneva, Switzerland - Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility (GDF), Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd (Eiken) and Human Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH (HUMAN) announced today an agreement to reduce the price of the TB-LAMP test by over 30%.
For all orders through GDF, the cost for a TB-LAMP test is now only US$6 per person tested.
With this price reduction, TB-LAMP has become the first molecular test to reach the target price established by WHO for a replacement test for microscopy.
Recommended by WHO in 2016, the TB-LAMP test is well-suited for detection of TB in peripheral health centers with minimal infrastructure. The test does not require sophisticated instrumentation or an air-conditioned room and is not affected by short power lapses or fluctuations. Samples from up to 14 people can be tested at once using the HumaLoop T testing equipment, and up to 70 tests can be performed in a single eight-hour shift.
“We believe that this new price not only supports our common goal to fight TB but also reflects our commitment to customer satisfaction and for global health,” said Morifumi Wada, President and CEO of Eiken, the manufacturer of TB-LAMP products. "We are pleased to contribute to the fight against tuberculosis with our extensive experience in IVD solutions and appropriate services for developing countries,” said Ralph Neuberger, managing Director of HUMAN, the global distributor for TB-LAMP products.
“Scaling up the use of rapid molecular tests to detect TB is essential to meeting the global target committed by the UN General Assembly to diagnose and treat 40 million people with TB by 2022. You don’t diagnose, you don’t treat and you never stop transmission,” said Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership. “We at Stop TB commend Eiken and HUMAN for making their product even more affordable for all countries through GDF and we are happy to continue our amazing collaboration.”
For more information on TB-LAMP, including guidance on planning and budgeting an order, see the GDF Technical Information Note on TB-LAMP or contact GDF at gdf@stopb.org.
About GDF
GDF is the largest global provider of quality-assured TB diagnostics and laboratory supplies to the public sector. The GDF Diagnostics Catalog contains over 500 items, providing a full range of products to meet the needs of TB laboratories from central to peripheral levels. All countries can buy from GDF using any funding source, including both donor and domestic resources.