Statistics from the WHO show 400,000 new cases of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are now reported across more than 100 countries and regions worldwide each year.

In China, approximately 5 million people have active TB, one of the leading infectious causes of death today, with the Ministry of Health estimating 130,000 deaths per year from this disease.

The US-based Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company recently unveiled a 562 million yuan (US$68 million) initiative to fight the spread of MDR-TB, a serious international public health threat, particularly in developing countries.

To increase the number of trained personnel and drugs available to treat the disease, the firm will team up with bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and embark on a series of specific undertakings.

As part of such undertakings, the firm will transfer its technology to China to manufacture two antibiotics necessary for treatment of MDR-TB. In addition, the company will offer training and certification for manufacturing practices and business management to relevant Chinese drug manufacturing firms.

Experts say MDR-TB can occur during the initial stage of TB treatment among about 18.6 per cent of TB patients.

With the growing prevalence of MDR-TB in China's rural areas, particularly in the country's western regions, as well as its possible spread to big domestic cities, experts have called for more efforts to raise funding for the fight, along with public awareness of the disease plus effective treatment.

(Star News)