prod:prod_dcx-login
Increasing Access to TB Testing Around the World
{{searchText ? ' for "' : ''}}{{searchText}}{{searchText ? '"' : ''}}
Global Tuberculosis Situation
Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of infectious disease-related death behind COVID-19.1 It is estimated that one quarter of the world’s population is infected with TB, with the greatest burden falling on low and middle-income countries and poor and marginalized populations.2 The reservoir of latent disease continues to fuel around 10.5 million cases of active TB disease – 30% of which go undiagnosed – and 1.6 million deaths per year.2
The opportunity to end TB by 2030 stands before the global community. Together, governments, NGOs, donors, and others have made incredible strides against the disease, but the COVID-19 pandemic has set the fight against TB back nearly a decade.3 To regain progress and drive toward disease eradication, TB programs need accurate and timely diagnostics, effective and easy-to-take treatments, strong health care infrastructure, and innovative partnerships.
...Rapid molecular testing for TB [is] among a select group of interventions that have been shown to advance the "quadruple aim": improved population health, a better patient experience, a better clinician experience, and lower costs.
Cepheid’s Commitment to Help End Tuberculosis
Developing innovative solutions to fight TB is in our company DNA. In 2006, we started collaborations to develop a test that could simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and mutations associated with Rifampicin resistance in an easy-to-use workflow. From this, Xpert® MTB/RIF was born. Since then, we have been continuously innovating to stay ahead of the disease and evolving patient needs.
Rapid molecular tests like Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra are WHO-recommended first-line diagnostic tests for patients with signs and symptoms of TB4
15%
Reduction in the number of people with TB who do not get diagnosed since the introduction of Xpert MTB/RIF in 20105
8 Million
Number of people who have had TB detected with Cepheid's TB tests since 2015, when data collection began5
2.5X
Testing with Xpert has been found to get patients started on TB treatment 2.5X faster than traditional diagnostic methods6
Improving TB Diagnostics: Stories from the Field
Yes! We Can #EndTB -- Cepheid Salutes Real Heroes in Honor of World Tuberculosis Day
Did you know about one-quarter of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis (TB)? People infected with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis are at risk of developing the disease soon after becoming infected or remain latent for years and develop symptoms later if their immune system is compromised.
TB is curable and preventable - a quick and accurate diagnostic test is important to reduce diagnostic delay and provide faster linkage to care for better clinical outcomes.
Each year, we recognize World TB Day on March 24 to raise public awareness and understanding about one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. This year, the theme ‘Yes! We can end TB!’ aims to inspire hope and encourage high-level leadership, increase investments, innovation, and accelerate action to combat the TB epidemic.
At Cepheid, the global fight to end TB has been central to our work, and today, our team around the world continues our efforts to eradicate TB through increased access to diagnosis and care.
Improving TB Diagnostic Algorithm in Ukraine
Ukraine has the fourth highest TB incidence rate in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, with a 24% rate of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB and a 17% rate of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB.7 Accurate and on-the-spot identification of TB cases is critical to achieving the global goal to end TB by 2035. Cepheid partnered with the Public Health Center of Ukraine and the Global Fund to replace all microscopy use with Xpert molecular testing in primary healthcare facilities. This transition was aligned with WHO’s recommendation that molecular tests should be the first-line diagnostics for TB. The country-wide conversion to Xpert ensures that all new and relapse TB cases are identified by the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra test and all rifampin-resistant cases are immediately referred to the closest XDR testing site for Xpert MTB/XDR.
Mission TB-Free Haryana Project Spotlight
The Mission TB-Free Haryana Project brings point-of-care TB diagnosis to rural communities in Haryana, India, via mobile vans equipped with digital x-ray machines and GeneXpert Edge system. A collaboration between Medanta, the Government of Haryana, The Union, and India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the program has reduced patient loss to follow-up seen in traditional models of TB diagnosis in India.
Every week, a mobile van staffed by an x-ray technician, data operator, and driver holds a TB screening camp at a government health facility in a rural area of Haryana. The week before, community leaders, grassroots organizations, and local media disseminate information about the upcoming camp to generate community awareness and demand for the testing services. Community members with suspected TB are screened with the digital x-ray machine, and those with high clinical and radiological suspicion of TB get a Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra* test on the same day for confirmation. Battery-operated, portable, and easy-to-use, GeneXpert Edge* has enabled Mission TB-Free Haryana to not only screen suspected TB patients for TB in their communities but also confirm diagnosis with a WHO-recommended test on the same day.
Over the program’s six years of operations, 1,500 camps have been held; 223,522 people have been screened for TB; 23,522 chest x-rays have been done; and 4,022 patients have been diagnosed with pulmonary TB (both GeneXpert positive and clinically diagnosed).
Current TB Diagnostic Solutions
Cepheid’s tests and its diagnostic instrument systems are designed to enable easy and fast TB diagnosis and detection of drug resistance to reduce barriers to diagnosis for everyone in any location, even in remote community settings.
| Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra* | Xpert MTB/XDR* | |
| System Compatibility | GeneXpert®-II, IV, XVI; GeneXpert® Infinity-48 and -80; GeneXpert® Edge | GeneXpert-II, IV, XVI |
| Operating Requirement | 6-color or 10-color | 10-color |
| Regulatory and WHO Status | •CE marked •WHO endorsed |
•CE marked •WHO endorsed |
| Shelf Life | 18 months | 18 months |
| For More Information | Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra product page | Xpert MTB/XDR product page |
For any questions, please contact your local Cepheid Sales Executive or Technical Support team in your respective country. Please see complete pricing and eligibility details here.
"Reflex testing of MDR-TB patients, to rapidly and accurately diagnose XDR-TB within 2 hours and minimum expertise needed, has the potential to be the cornerstone in the rapid initiation of tailored treatment."
Resources
COVID-19 and Tuberculosis Testing in South Africa, A Story from the Doctor and Patient
Dr. Sifumba, a medical doctor and survivor of both COVID-19 and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and a health activist living in Johannesburg, South Africa shares her story and her dedication to improving access to molecular diagnostics for patients and health workers across the globe.
More...
Srinath Venaktesh, India President, Danaher, Discusses the Fight Against TB in India
TB can be defeated with the right mix of strategies and actions with timely diagnosis says Danaher India President, Srinath Venkatesh.
More...
Stop TB Partnership
More...
FIND
More...
Global Fund
More...
USAID
More...
A Not-for-Profit in Vietnam Fights to End Tuberculosis
More...
*CE-IVD. In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device. May not be available in all countries. Not available in the United States.
IVD. In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device. May not be available in all countries
1. NPR. Before COVID, TB was the world’s worst pathogen. It’s still a ‘monster’ killer. 13 Feb 2022. Accessed Jun 2022. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/02/13/1079505737/before-covid-tb-was-the-worlds-worst-pathogen-its-still-a-monster-killer
2. WHO. 10 facts on tuberculosis. 12 Oct 2021. Accessed Jun 2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis#Overview
3. WHO. Tuberculosis deaths rise for the first time in more than a decade due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 14 Oct 2021. Accessed Jun 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/14-10-2021-tuberculosis-deaths-rise-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-a-decade-due-to-the-covid-19-pandemic
4. WHO. WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis, Module 3: Diagnosis, Rapid diagnostics for tuberculosis detection. 2021. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240029415
5. WHO. Global Tuberculosis Programme. Accessed Jun 2022. https://www.who.int/teams/global-tuberculosis-programme/data
6. Kwak N, et al. Diagnostic Accuracy and Turnaround Time of the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay in Routine Clinical Practice. PLoS One, 2013; 8(10): e77456.
7. Paul I, et al. Public health concerns about Tuberculosis caused by Russia/Ukraine conflict. Health Science Reports, 2023; 6(4): e1218