PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Gunar Günther
AU  - Gabriela B. Gomez
AU  - Christoph Lange
AU  - Stephan Rupert
AU  - Frank van Leth
TI  - Availability, price and affordability of anti-tuberculosis drugs in Europe: a TBNET survey
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.00124614
DP  - 2015 Apr 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 1081--1088
VI  - 45
IP  - 4
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/45/4/1081.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/45/4/1081.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2015 Apr 01; 45
AB  - Data on availability and cost of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs in relation to affordability at national level are scarce.We performed a cross-sectional study on availability and cost of anti-TB drugs at major TB-reference centres in 37 European countries. Costs of standardised treatment regimens used for pan-sensitive TB, multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, pre-extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB, and XDR-TB were compared using a purchasing power analysis. Affordability was evaluated in relation to monthly national gross domestic products per capita (GDP).At least one second-line injectable and either moxifloxacin or levofloxacin were available in all countries. Linezolid and clofazimine were available in 79% and 46% of the countries, respectively. Drug cost for XDR-TB was three-times more expensive than those for MDR-TB. The average price of treatment for pan-sensitive TB represented a maximum of 8.5% of the monthly GDP across countries, while for standard MDR-TB treatment this was <30% in only six countries and more than 100% in four countries. Treatment of XDR-TB represented more than 100% of a month's GDP in all countries where the regimen was available.High cost and limited availability of drugs for treatment of drug-resistant TB, particularly beyond resistance to first-line drugs, are a major impediment to successful TB control in Europe.Limited availability and high cost of drugs hamper the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Europe http://ow.ly/CrhbM