Viatris launches support project in Maharashtra to combat DR-TB
The project aims to strengthen tuberculosis care through diagnostics, prevention and nutrition in Nagpur
Mylan Laboratories, a part of Viatris, announced the launch of a new tuberculosis (TB) support project in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The project, with a special focus on drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), is being implemented in partnership with the non-profit organization Doctors For You, Nagpur Municipal Corporation and the City TB Office, Nagpur under a Public-Private Partnership model.
A press statement from the company informed, “TB continues to be a significant public health challenge in India, with the Nagpur district facing growing challenges in expanding TB preventive treatment coverage and strengthening molecular diagnostic capacity. The project is an 18-month initiative aligned with the Government of India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Program, adopting its Detect-Treat-Prevent-Build approach. It comprises timely and accurate diagnosis, TB preventive treatment uptake among household contacts, nutritional support for TB and DR-TB patients, and integrated coordination across diagnostic, preventive, and support services.”
Under the project, the key interventions would be processing more than 26,000 samples across four locations in the Nagpur district, household tracing of confirmed TB and DR-TB patients targeting 22,000 households and distributing more than 450 nutrition kits.
“Since 2020, we’ve screened more than 1.5 million people for TB in India. Over the past five years, Viatris supported the TB Control Initiative, reaching more than 58,000 people in rural and tribal areas of Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. We will continue to explore ways to support regional and national health priorities and look forward to continued collaboration for the health and well-being of people in Maharashtra,” said Lina Andersson, Head of Global Sustainability, Viatris.
“As a company with a long-standing presence in Maharashtra, we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of the communities where our colleagues live and work. Through this partnership, we aim to strengthen local efforts to improve TB detection, prevention and patient support, contributing to the broader goal of eliminating tuberculosis in India,” said Dr Abhijit Deshmukh, Head of Global Non-Sterile Operations, Viatris.
Globally, the company has helped enable treatment access for more than 300,000 patients living with DR-TB, informed the company’s statement.