Word: detectible
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...classes of first- and second-line anti-TB drugs available - and there is no third line of pharmaceutical defense. While some promising candidates are being tested, even if they prove effective, they will not be available for at least five more years. There is also no easy way to detect drug-resistant strains of TB; current sputum-based screens can take anywhere from two weeks to two months, during which time doctors protectively place infected patients on first-line drugs too weak to battle the aggressive strain effectively rather than risk the overuse of last-resort medications that would only...
...amplifying genes that are beyond the limited resources of most developing nations. "It will be very difficult to bring expensive technologies, machines and trained technicians on a wider scale," predicts Dr. Arvinder Pal Gill, district TB officer in Moga, in India's Punjab region. In addition, the test can detect only MDR TB, not the emerging XDR strains. But both WHO and the Global Fund for H.I.V., TB and Malaria are betting that investing in such facilities will boost these nations' ability to combat not just TB but other infectious diseases too. UNITAID, the international drug-purchasing organization, has pledged...
...ongoing TB epidemic, TIME's James Nachtwey traveled to seven countries over the last five months, photographing the diverse and changing face of the disease. As his images show, controlling the epidemic requires investing not just in new technologies but also in expanding existing programs to control and detect TB before it even becomes resistant. And dots (Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course) is a critical part of that strategy. Developed in the 1990s, the program requires health officials to be present to watch their patients take their complete course of medications, even if it means visiting them in their homes...
Over the past five months, TIME's James Nachtwey has documented the resurgence of TB in seven countries. Turning back the epidemic will require not just newer and more effective drugs but also better ways to detect the disease and a renewed commitment to expanding existing TB-treatment programs. In June the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a new, rapid test for TB that can provide results in as little as two days. But for most TB-ravaged nations, adopting the technique will require upgrading lab facilities. That's not easy, but it's something WHO hopes will ultimately help...
Roche, however, retains one key advantage: it has already seen its own line of attack succeed. The proof? Roche's first targeted breast-cancer drug, Herceptin. Developed by Genentech, Herceptin was marketed specifically to destroy cancers containing the her-2/neu protein, which doctors can detect using a 21-gene screen diagnostic. Herceptin has helped thousands of women combat breast cancer. But there's no doubt it has also helped Roche's bottom line: at $40,000 a year per patient, Herceptin grew globally in sales nearly 25%, to $4.1 billion, last year. "You need self-confidence to take risks...