Earlier this month, the World Health Organization announced that drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is now at record levels. Global health leaders recognize the crucial role that businesses must play in the fight against this deadly disease.
Top multinational business and nonprofit leaders met in New York to discuss the role of the private sector in curbing the spread of TB.
Executives from BD, Pfizer Inc, the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation and the Stop TB Partnership highlighted the unique assets businesses can bring to the TB fight, how they can make the greatest impact and “best practices” from the private sector in this critical battle.
Overall, the participants agreed that strategic partnerships are the key to success, and leveraging the core competencies of the private sector, beyond philanthropy, is essential. In addition, they recognized that building capacity to diagnose and treat TB also creates an infrastructure that can be sustained and applied to other future health crises.