iNTP is a collaboration between Stop TB Partnership, USAID and UNOPS in nine high TB burden countries in Asia and Africa
After the successful domestic rollout of Molbio Diagnostics’ Truenat MTB by the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program, a multi-country rollout has been initiated by the “introducing New Tools Project (iNTP)”, a collaboration between the Stop TB Partnership, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in nine high TB burden countries in Asia and Africa.
The roll-out package enables uptake of WHO-endorsed innovation in diagnostics, treatment and digital health technologies to strengthen TB care in high-burden countries. The New Tools Project aims to improve access to rapid molecular testing through the introduction of Truenat as the initial diagnostic test in peripheral health facilities as a replacement for sputum smear microscopy as mandated by WHO.
The countries covered in the first phase are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Truenat Installations are completed in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, DR Congo, Philippines, Uganda and Kenya while it’s underway in Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Molbio Diagnostics’ Truenat is a point-of-care platform endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for rapid molecular detection of Tuberculosis and Rifampicin resistance.
Truenat is a portable, battery-operated, IoT-enabled, point-of-care Real-Time PCR platform with a turn-around time of less than 1 hour that can be deployed even in resource-limited settings and remote areas. In addition to TB, the Truenat platform can test for over 35 other diseases.
Commenting on the initiative, Sriram Natarajan, Founder, Director & CEO, Molbio Diagnostics, said, “We are happy to be part of the Global Tuberculosis elimination initiative and are committed to the global elimination target of TB by 2030. We will continue to develop technologies and solutions for a better world.”
Also commenting on the initiative, Dr Chandrasekhar Nair, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Molbio Diagnostics, stated, “We are glad that our product Truenat is serving the purpose it was designed for, providing universal access to state-of-the-art technologies and saving lives.”
