Could a Prize Fund Stimulate Development of New TB Tests?
The most commonly used diagnostic tool for TB—the microscopy test of patients’ sputum—has remained essentially the same since it was developed well over a century ago. In real life settings, microscopy misses about as many cases as it detects and is particularly poor at detecting TB in patients co-infected with HIV/AIDS or in children. We need tests that give results fast and accurately. To speed up the creation of a new TB test, MSF is suggesting that a prize fund competition be established. Prize funds can stimulate innovation by offering large cash rewards for successful development instead of relying, as in the current model, on high sales prices protected by patent monopolies. Prize funds also allow governments to prioritize research and development in that they pay out only for successful results and direct research toward areas of greatest medical need. The test needs to work at the point-of-care level where the majority of patients are seen, it must be accurate and affordable,