Out of the boxes,out of the silos: The need of interdisciplinary collaboration to reduce poor-quality medical products in the supply chain

In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the problem of poor-quality medical products requires a more interdisciplinary approach than has been evident to date. While prospective studies based on rigorous standardized methodologies are the gold standard for measuring the prevalence of poor-quality medical products and understanding their distribution nationally and internationally, they should be complemented by social science research to unpack the complex set of social, economic, and governance factors that underlie these patterns. In the following sections, we discuss specific examples of prospective quality surveys and of social science studies, highlighting the value of cross-sector partnerships in driving high-quality, policy-relevant research in this area.     

Diagnosis of Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in the Era of Interferon Gamma Release Assays

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), an acid-fast bacterium, is a leading cause of respiratory illness and death worldwide. Individuals can be latently infected and can harbor the organism without clinical evidence of disease for years. Screening and treatment of numerous populations, including health care workers, recent contacts of actively infected individuals, immunocompromised individuals, children, and immigrants from countries where MTB is endemic, is essential to eradicate the infection by 2050, as the World Health Organization envisions. Detection of active and latent infection historically has utilized tuberculin skin tests and other clinical findings. Interferon gamma release assays can test whether a patient has had MTB exposure with improved sensitivity and specificity over tuberculin skin testing. This article reviews the history of MTB testing, compares available interferon gamma release assays, and discusses the new developments related to latent-MTB infection testing.