Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson announced on Thursday that a Swiss nonprofit will distribute a lower-cost generic version of a popular tuberculosis drug in low- and middle-income countries. The move was celebrated by medical advocates and celebrities like novelist John Green, who publicly pressure the company in recent days to expand access in a high-profile social media campaign.
The move will allow Stop TB Partnership to offer licences to tender, procure, and supply generic versions of SIRTURO, otherwise known as bedaquiline, in 44 new countries, including those where J&J’s patent remains in effect, nearly doubling the reach of the company tuberculosis treatment.
