Contaminated Medical Products, A Promising E-Learning Initiative & New USAID Partnerships in Asia
TB Tidbits News Scan, September 8, 2023
Biologics Company Distributes Medical Products Contaminated with TB for Second Time in Two Years
The CDC, FDA, and several state health departments are investigating a recent tuberculosis outbreak connected to human bone tissue products sold by Aziyo Biologics to healthcare facilities. The CDC confirmed that at least 36 patients across seven states received products contaminated with the m. tuberculosis bacteria, with at least two patients having tested positive for the disease. Aziyo Biologics issued a product recall on July 13 after the two patients contracted TB following spinal surgeries. The company is currently working closely with the CDC to notify physicians treating patients who may have received contaminated materials.
Shockingly, this is the second time in two years the company has had to issue a recall for one of its products. In 2021, Aziyo issued a recall for 154 containers of potentially TB-contaminated malleable bone putty that were shipped to 37 facilities in 20 states. Prior to the recall, a total of 136 products had already been implanted into 113 patients.
While the recent developments are alarming, it is incredibly rare for medical products to be contaminated with TB. In fact, according to the CDC, the last time before 2021 that TB transmission occurred via bone graft was 1953.
New E-Learning Program Equips Healthcare Workers in Fight Against TB
This July, a Nigeria-based NGO, African Diseases Prevention and Research Development Initiative (ADRAP), announced a new pilot program aimed at training healthcare workers on virtual technologies used in the care and management of tuberculosis. The e-learning initiative, available on ADRAP’s website, will educate 4,000 healthcare workers in Nigeria and Liberia on tools used for treatment monitoring, preventive therapy, and case reporting.
The program was introduced as a response to ongoing challenges both countries are facing with combatting TB, such as lack of sufficient trained personnel and capacity constraints. Experts hope the effort will help improve health outcomes, especially in resource-limited settings in both countries. The groundbreaking program is funded through contributions from the Global Fund and USAID. USAID’s TB Advisor to Liberia has said that he hopes that successful implementation of the initiative can help encourage additional ‘south-south’ partnerships.
Asian Countries Partner with USAID to Ramp Up TB Efforts
Two of the WHO’s 30 high MDR-TB burden countries - Uzbekistan and Indonesia - announced new USAID partnership initiatives aimed at bolstering ongoing efforts to combat drug-resistant TB infections. In July, the Uzbekistani government announced the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided an $18 million grant to bolster ongoing efforts in the fight against TB. The funds, which will be directed towards the TB-free Uzbekistan project, will be used to enhance overall healthcare capacity, improve data management, and strengthen interoperability.
Uzbekistan has made substantial progress over the past few decades to contain TB, with mortality rates falling five-fold since 1993, when the US first began providing aid. With this additional grant funding, administrators hope to improve TB detection programs and increase treatment success rates for TB patients. The grant is part of a larger USAID project called Eliminating Tuberculosis in Central Asia (ETICA), which has provided medical equipment, trained health workers, and helped facilitate the registration of six new TB medications within Uzbekistan since 2019.
Similarly, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, in conjunction with USAID, announced a five-year $70 million program in July to bolster the government’s existing efforts to help eliminate TB by 2030. Through the new Together Towards Elimination and Freedom from TB Program, the government will focus on improving the quality of tuberculosis case detection, diagnosis, care, and prevention in four densely populated provinces with high TB burdens: North Sumatra, West Java, Central Java, and East Java. The collaborative project will complement Indonesia’s ongoing efforts to improve laboratory services, open more TB treatment facilities, and ensure a more consistent, reliable supply of high-quality medicines.