TB Alliance’s third licensed manufacturer makes pretomanid available through the Global Drug Facility, further improving affordability and access
TB Alliance applauds a new milestone in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB): a 25% price reduction for pretomanid, a key component of the BPaL / M regimen s . Pretomanid is now available through the Global Drug Facility (GDF) at just $169 per treatment course — less than $1 per day, a key pricing benchmark identified by the global TB advocacy community. This latest price drop—down from $364 upon pretomanid’s initial approval in 2019, and down further from $224 in October 2024—reflects ongoing efforts by TB Alliance and its partners to broaden access and improve affordability through a multi-manufacturer approach to access .
TB Alliance, a nonprofit organization that developed pretomanid, has pioneered an innovative access model by partnering with multiple quality-assured manufacturers . This strategy help ed launch pretomanid at a n initial low price and ensure d rapid, sustainable, and affordable access across high-TB burden countries. Simultaneously, b y enabling healthy competition and fostering multiple high-quality supply sources, TB Alliance’s strategy expand ed availability while driving down costs.
“This progress demonstrates how thoughtful collaboration and planning can translate into real-world impact,” said Dr. Mel Spigelman, President and CEO of TB Alliance. “By enabling multiple high-quality producers to supply this medicine, we’re fostering a healthy and sustainable market to deliver on our mandate that the life-saving medicines we develop will be adopted, available, and affordable to all those in need. We’re grateful to partners such as Lupin and GDF for their shared commitment to supplying the market with life-saving TB medicine s and stand committed to working with all our manufacturing partners to ensure equitable and affordable access . “
The current GDF price reduction, led by Lupin Limited , represents a crucial step in delivering on this vision. Procurement through GDF will save an estimated $37 million annually according to The Stop TB Partnership, the organization responsible for managing GDF , allowing for the treatment of an additional 120,000 people with DR-TB.
Together with recent price reductions for the other regimen components, the cost of a full BPaL / M treatment course has dropped to a new low of $310— less than $2 per day, and a 47% reduction from its December 2022 price.
BPaL/M is a six-month treatment recommended by the World Health Organization to treat most forms of DR-TB . It consists of bedaquiline (B), pretomanid (Pa), and linezolid (L), with or without moxifloxacin (M). In 2024 alone, approximately 110,000 courses of pretomanid were ordered across the world— enough to treat more than 60% of the global market for DR-TB treatment , perhaps the fastest ever scale up for a new TB medicine in modern times .
” Lupin is proud to collaborate with TB Alliance and the Global Drug Facility to make p retomanid , an essential medicine in the fight against multidrug-resistant TB , more accessible and affordable for TB patients across the globe ,” said Ramesh Swaminathan, Global CFO, Executive Director, Head of API Plus SBU at Lupin. ” The recent price reduction reflects our strong and deep-rooted commitment to delivering high-quality and affordable medicines to TB patients worldwide. Through this partnership, we reaffirm our dedication to p atient -centric innovation and equitable access, ensuring that countries burdened by TB have the necessary treatment options they need to save lives and strengthen public health systems. “
“For years, advocates from the TB community have called for TB treatments that are not just effective, but also affordable for every person who needs them,” said Olya Klymenko, Development Director of TB People Ukraine. “The full BPaL/M regimen now costing less than $2 per day is deeply meaningful. We express our gratitude to everyone who made this result possible. There really is no reason for governments and health systems around the world to not provide these treatments to every person who can benefit from them.”
TB Alliance remains committed to expanding its innovative access model to ensure new innovations in TB treatment reach all who need them as rapidly as possible . With additional planned future tenders, TB Alliance expects ad ditional price reductions for pretomanid in the future . Beyond pricing strategies, TB Alliance continues to develop and execute innovative market access initiatives like LIFT-TB , SLASH-TB , and the PeerLINC Knowledge Hub to speed the global uptake, procurement, and implementation of shortened DR-TB treatments for all who need them around the world.
