Meet the disrupters: How social entrepreneurship is leading the way to end TB

Stop TB Partnership, for the first time ever, organized a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to highlight and discuss some of our partners’ innovative partnerships and technological solutions. Leaders from Dentsu Aegis Network, Everwell Health Solutions, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ("Global Fund"), Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Microsoft Research, Nestlé, Tata Trusts and World Economic Forum were among the participants.

Lucica Ditiu, the Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership, opened the event by emphasizing the need to bring more disrupters and new partners into the TB space in order to collectively develop, implement and roll-out entrepreneurial solutions that are centered around the needs of the people and communities affected by TB.

Jaak Peeters, Global Head of Global Public Health for J&J, noted that the company was moving beyond the development of bedaquiline and working closely together with India’s Institute of Microbial Technology to develop new, shorter regimens for TB treatment and prevention.

Andrew Cross, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Everwell Health Solutions, spoke about how 99DOTS can significantly increase adherence to TB treatment, and serve as a "pathfinder" for other, new digital health solutions for TB.

Peter Sands, the incoming Executive Director of the Global Fund, closed the meeting by reaffirming that during his term he is committed to putting TB on track to be ended by 2030, as laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Stop TB Partnership will continue to identify other opportunities to engage with the business sector from other industries, as well as start-ups, small and medium enterprises, and multinationals who are developing new TB products and technologies. In order to have a true public-private partnership, it is not only critical to align on common interests, but also to share both the risks and the benefits.