“While shocking, this move by Johnson & Johnson is unfortunately not surprising – we demand that the company halt its profiteering tactics immediately and sell South Africa bedaquiline at the same cost countries are paying through Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility. Additionally, J&J must avail the patent for the lifesaving treatment so that generic drug manufacturers can produce the medicine at affordable prices,” said Dr. Kate Ssamula, Country Program Director for AHF South Africa. “We have one of the highest rates of MDR-TB globally, and tuberculosis is the leading cause of death for South Africans, with 56,000 TB deaths in 2021 alone. Johnson & Johnson must be held accountable for its rampant and immoral greed that is keeping us from protecting our citizens.”

AHF has ramped up its tuberculosis advocacy in Africa and worldwide to bring awareness to the global TB response and urge governments everywhere to dedicate sufficient resources to save lives from this preventable and treatable disease.