Danaher/Cepheid Agree to Provide Standard Tuberculosis Tests to Global Fund at Cost

September 19, 2023

The TBfighters team is very happy to hear Danaher’s announcement that they will be selling their Xpert MTB/RIF test at cost, reducing the price by 20% from $9.98 to $7.97 per test. We are particularly pleased that they will allow a third party to verify their at-cost pricing on a regular basis, meaning if the price of production goes down, the price for the test will also reduce. This is a huge step toward price transparency, and we look forward to learning more about how they came to the $7.97 calculation.

However, there is still more that Danaher can do. Their tests for extensively drug-resistant TB (MTB/XDR tests) remain priced at $14.90, a heavy markup from the production cost. Accessible testing for extensively drug-resistant TB is crucial to preventing the further spread of these strains. In addition to remaining infectious for longer, patients who are not tested for drug resistant TB receive costly treatments, with severe side effects, that will never address their symptoms. With gratitude for this first step of Xpert MTB/RIF cartridge price reduction, we will continue to privately and publicly be in conversation with Danaher to encourage them to extend this agreement to their Xpert MTB/XDR cartridges as well.

We are truly thrilled to have been involved in this change, which will make such a difference to people living with TB. Any contributions from members of our community have only been possible through working in deep partnership with the activists and organizations who have been fighting to improve access to TB diagnosis and treatment for many years, including MSF (Doctors Without Borders), Partners in Health, the Stop TB Partnership, and the Treatment Action Group. Thank you for being so generous with your time and spirit; we are grateful for your leadership and expertise.

We are proud of what we have accomplished together so far, and we're excited for the work to continue in partnership with the organizations listed above. We also encourage YOU to join us and get involved in the fight to end TB - learn more here!