MSF, TAG and TB CAB raised a number of outstanding medical and research questions regarding pretomanid and the regimen BPaL.
On 25 October 2019, ahead of 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health (The Union Conference, 30 October - 2 November 2019, Hyderabad, India) Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the Global TB Community Advisory Board (TB CAB) publicly shared an information note with a number of outstanding medical and research questions regarding pretomanid and the regimen BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid).
The questions were sent directly to the TB Alliance, the non-profit developer of pretomanid, with the request that they a) respond to some of these questions during The Union Conference and in writing shortly thereafter, and b) support (if not directly carry out) the research needed to address gaps in the collective knowledge and experience with BPaL regimen and their drug pretomanid.
In addition, on 30 October 2019, civil society activists interrupted an event organized by the TB Alliance ahead of the The Union Conference to present their shared concerns and to demand transparency and accountability from the TB Alliance on a number of issues related to pretomanid.
On 13 December 2019, the TB Alliance sent a response addressing the questions raised by MSF, TAG and TB CAB in October.
“To maximize transparency and to address the questions raised in your letter to us on October 25th, we have systematically gone through each question and provided a response. This represents our best effort in sharing data that is available or is currently being collected. In the instance that novel data can be generated to further advance the science of pretomanid, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss.”
The full response can be accessed here.