At the 2004 annual meeting, the Stakeholders reviewed highlights of the TB Alliance’s portfolio advances and its policy and outreach activities in 2004 and conducted key business of the Association. Kicking off the meeting, President and CEO Dr. Maria C. Freire reviewed the organization’s progress, emphasizing the key advances in the pipeline and the expansion of the R&D team. Winstone Zulu, a patient advocate from Zambia, was the guest speaker and underscored the importance of patient involvement in global TB R&D efforts.
The Stakeholders unanimously elected Dr. Charles Yu of the Philippines Coalition against Tuberculosis (PhilCAT) to lead the Association. Dr. Yu said: “This is a great honor and responsibility and I welcome the opportunity to represent my patients and colleagues in the war on TB. My goal is to find more creative ways for Stakeholders to inform the work of the Alliance on an ongoing basis.” Dr. Yu’s election marks the completion of Dr. Lee Reichman’s two-year term as President.
The Stakeholders also welcomed three new members to the Association: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, TB Alert, and Results.
This year’s Annual Meeting included an overview of portfolio advances by R&D Director Dr. Melvin Spigelman, an update on TB Alliance preparations for clinical trials by Dr. Ann Ginsberg, Head of Clinical Development. Two portfolio projects were highlighted specifically, with Dr. Doris Rouse presenting the latest progress on the lead novel compound in the portfolio, PA-824, and Dr. Scott Franzblau sharing the vision and rationale for a new project to optimize macrolides for TB indication.
Ms. Joelle Tanguy, outgoing Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs, reviewed recent funding and policy developments. She introduced a research paper the TB Alliance has commissioned for the Millennium Development Project to model the impact of new TB drugs. Dr. Joshua Salomon of Harvard University School of Public Health represented the full team and presented preliminary findings from the epidemiological study, “Modeling the potential impact of new TB drug regimens.”
Every year, the TB Alliance Stakeholders Association convenes a meeting to review and evaluate the activities of the organization. Providing advice, guidance and support, the Stakeholders represent a range of institutions worldwide which signed the Cape Town Declaration that created the TB Alliance in 2000 and which share a clear interest and a significant stake in ensuring the development of new TB drugs through the TB Alliance.