TB has long been under-prioritized and under-funded. Financing for TB research and development (R&D) is particularly lacking, impeding the world’s ability to invest in the scientific innovation that’s necessary to reach TB elimination. To make matters worse the annual funding need for TB R&D has more than doubled due to years of severe underfinancing as well as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB programming. The Stop TB Partnership’s Global Plan to End TB 2023-2030 calls on funders to contribute US$5 billion annually for TB R&D. In 2021, only US$1 billion was raised. 

At the first United Nations High- Level Meeting on TB in 2018, Member States agreed to contribute their fair share to TB R&D, based on a small percentage (0.1%) of their national research budgets. Canada has failed to meet this target every year since. We urge the Government of Canada to increase its investments in TB R&D to contribute its fair share and to help improve the tools we have to prevent, diagnose, and treat TB.

Prevention:  It’s time for new vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic proved that when research and innovation is backed by political will, we can save millions of lives. 19 vaccines were approved in just one year thanks to international collective action.

However, after over 100 years and with millions of people living with TB worldwide today, there is still only one single TB vaccine, a stark reminder of neglect towards diseases that disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine was introduced in 1921 and is one of the most widely administered vaccines in human history. That being said, its effectiveness is limited. The good news is that there are currently 16 candidates in the TB vaccine pipeline. If this innovation is backed by funding and political will, we can make significant gains in ending TB with the development of a new, more effective vaccine.

Diagnosis: We cannot end TB if we cannot find TB.

Nearly 40% of people who fall ill with TB every year are missed by health systems. This means they do not receive a diagnosis or the care they need. Diagnosis continues to be the weakest link in the TB continuum of care.

Most of the current TB diagnostic tools require a sample of sputum (mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract). The problem is many people including people living with HIV, people with TB outside of the lungs, and children, cannot easily produce this.

While there is scientific innovation to develop new TB diagnostic tools, this progress will be in vain if we don’t overcome the severe funding shortfall.

Treatment: The future of TB treatment is shorter, simpler, and more effective.

Drug-resistant TB tends to be defined by higher morbidity and mortality. As a result, it was traditionally more difficult to treat, with complex treatment regimens of up to 2 years. These treatments also only cure about half of those who receive treatment.

In 2019 however, an innovative new treatment regimen, BPaL, was developed for drug-resistant TB. This three-pill, all-oral treatment reduces the treatment duration from 2 years to 6 months and has a higher success rate. Not only can this new treatment improve the quality of life for people with drug-resistant TB, it can help ease the burden on health systems.

Canada’s Role

In 2018, at the UN High Level Meeting on TB, Canada committed to contributing its fair share to TB R&D yet has fallen short of this target every year since. The financial need for TB R&D has more than doubled since the 2018 targets were set. To meet this demand, Canada must allocate 0.15% of its total research expenditure to TB R&D to help improve the tools we have to prevent, diagnose, and treat TB.

Campaign Updates

Despite months of advocacy from Stop TB CAnada and partners ahead of the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on TB this September, Canada missed its opportunity to announce increased funding for TB R&D at this meeting. We were disappointed by Canada’s engagement at the UN HLM but continue to call on Canada to invest the funds necessary to support scientific innovation.