Fast Track the Cure Enters Second Phase with New Global Partners to Accelerate Access to Six-Month DR-TB Treatments
Communities Lead the Way: Partners in Peru, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria join the initiative to drive community-based monitoring, demand creation, and advocacy
The Fast Track the Cure initiative is proud to enter its next phase with its support of a new group of community-based partners. This chapter brings together powerful voices from across the globe, including ASPAT (Peru), Dopasi Foundation (Pakistan), Nari Maitree (Bangladesh), REACH (India), and TB Network (Nigeria).
These new partners will build upon the strong foundation of awareness and advocacy laid in the initiative’s first phase. In addition to growing community understanding of the benefits of six-month drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) treatments, they will play a central role in advancing implementation of these shorter regimens through efforts such as community-based monitoring and demand creation by working closely with TB-affected communities and local health systems, including National TB Programs.
“This new phase of Fast Track the Cure builds on the success of our initial phase. We are now working with a new set of dedicated community-led global partners who bring deep and nuanced understandings of local stakeholders and TB-affected communities, along with a shared commitment to ending TB,” said Akshaya Patil, Fast Track the Cure Lead. “Together, we will not only continue to raise awareness—but drive real change on the ground.”
Fast Track the Cure is a global movement that brings communities together to advocate for access to shorter, more effective DR-TB treatments. With the support of the Stop TB Partnership and in close alignment with the Challenge Facility for Civil Society movement, the initiative ensures its strategies align with and amplify the impact of ongoing global efforts in community engagement, capacity building, and demand creation.
"Ensuring increased awareness, demand and access to new TB tools is a priority for the Stop TB Partnership Challenge Facility for Civil Society. The first stage of Fast Track the Cure was extremely effective in mobilizing both local and digital communities to raise awareness and build support for new drug-resistant TB treatments. We look forward to this next stage, which comes at a critical moment," said James Malar, Community Engagement, Capacity Building and Stigma Reduction Coordinator, Stop TB Partnership. “As countries scale up access to new TB tools and begin to adopt these shorter regimens, it’s vital that they roll them out widely and rapidly—and that the communities receiving these treatments have the support and resources they need to succeed."
In the coming months, Fast Track the Cure will continue to engage both local and global TB stakeholders through digital campaigns, grassroots initiatives, and global events, all aimed at ensuring that six-month DR-TB cures are widely adopted and available to all who need them, and that those receiving these treatments receive the best support and care possible.