This requires a degree of monitoring (See Direct Observational Therapy, Short-course) beyond the capacity of the health infrastructure in many countries, and adequate TB treatment is not available to more than half of the most infectious cases.
[8] It does not generate the kind of revenue streams that private companies usually deem necessary to justify the research costs and strategic risks involved in pharmaceuticals.
TB Alliance was designed to be the primary instrument to fill this vacuum and to ensure that new anti-TB drugs are affordable and accessible in endemic countries.
TB Alliance was conceived at a February 2000 meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, where 120 representatives from academia, industry, major government agencies, non-governmental organizations and donors gathered to discuss the problems of tuberculosis treatment.
A PDP builds partnerships between the public, private, academic and philanthropic sectors to drive the development of new products for underserved markets.
This model minimizes costs, including overhead and investments in infrastructure, while optimizing scientific capability to speed new TB drug development.
TB Alliance also collaborates with national and international partners, working to ensure that new therapies are adopted and accessible to healthcare providers and patients via local channels.
The TB Alliance has a diverse set of global partnerships with both public and private sector donors that fund the company's work.