Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 2: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set new targets for the development of long-acting injectable medicines for tuberculosis (TB) prevention and treatment, aiming to simplify treatment routines and improve patient adherence.
Currently, TB prevention and treatment largely depend on daily oral medicines taken over several months. Maintaining this medication routine for an extended period can be challenging for many patients, often affecting treatment adherence.
The proposed long-acting injectables (LAIs) could significantly reduce the burden of taking daily medicines by offering longer-lasting protection and treatment through fewer doses.
"Long-acting injectables (LAIs) could make TB prevention and treatment much simpler for the people who need them. These profiles tell developers, early, what a new regimen must achieve to make that difference in practice, without trading away efficacy, safety or patient choice," said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO's Department of HIV, TB, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Long-acting injectable medicines have already transformed the management of certain other health conditions, particularly HIV. Several candidates for long-acting TB injections are now approaching clinical development, raising hopes for simpler and more convenient treatment options.
Under the new target profiles, WHO has outlined two key objectives. For TB preventive treatment, the organisation envisages a complete course administered through a single injection during one healthcare visit. For TB treatment, the proposed regimen should last no more than four months and require three or fewer dosing visits.
Both profiles emphasise that injections should be administered by trained healthcare workers at the lowest feasible level of the health system. They also call for small injection volumes, medicines that do not require cold-chain storage and safety and effectiveness at least comparable to existing oral treatment regimens.
The target profiles also examine possible trade-offs between different characteristics of the medicines, while addressing clinical trial requirements, overall treatment burden, scalability and equitable access.
WHO has further highlighted the importance of transparent pricing and affordability to ensure that the new treatments, once developed, can reach patients across different countries and healthcare systems.
To develop the profiles, WHO established a Scientific Target Regimen Profile (TRP) development group comprising clinical trial specialists, pharmacologists, regulatory experts, national tuberculosis programme officials, people with lived experience of TB and civil society representatives.
The group considered evidence from a comprehensive landscape analysis and a public consultation conducted during April and May 2026. Community and healthcare provider surveys, focus group discussions and a multicountry discrete choice experiment also informed the development process.
The initiative marks an important step towards advancing new-generation TB medicines, with the potential to reduce treatment duration, ease the burden on patients and improve access to effective prevention and care.