The CSIR and Johnson & Joshson today teamed up for conducting joint research on drug- resistant tuberculosis (TB).
The Institute of Microbial Technology (TMTech), under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Johnson and Johnson for the purpose.
Speaking on the occasion, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said drug-resistant TB is a global threat and India has about one-fourth of the global burden. "A sustained effort is needed to tackle this problem," he said.
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While he was the health minister, Vardhan had launched TB-Mission, with an aim to eradicate the disease by 2020.
Johnson and Johnson's chief scientific officer Paul Stoffels said, "While we have made great advances in recent years with approval of new TB medicines, much more needs to be done."
Over 17 lakh TB patients were recorded last year in the Centre's TB control programme, the annual report on the disease released by the government.
Released on March 24, 2017, the World TB Day, the report said that over 33,000 drug-resistant TB patients were also recorded in 2016.
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