The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) along with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. Government agencies recently co-hosted a Stakeholder Forum to discuss the development of the U.S. Government National Action Plan for Combating Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB).

The forum saw active engagement of key stakeholders in TB, representing the public, private, and non-governmental organization (NGO) communities, and presented an opportunity to hear a wide variety of perspectives about program challenges, potential innovations, and resources required to implement the Plan.

The National Action Plan for Combating MDR-TB is a companion document to President Barack Obama’s National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. The Plan identifies critical actions the U.S. Government will take over a 3–5-year period to achieve specific targets to tackle MDR-TB. The Plan will guide U.S. Government activities designed to address domestic, international, science, technology, and research and development needs.

Forum attendees represented more than 40 organizations including the United Nations through its Special Envoy on Tuberculosis, U.S. Congressional staff, the World Health Organization, foundations, academia, technical and advocacy organizations, and many others. Administration officials from OSTP, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of State, and USAID discussed the domestic, international, and research and development components of the Plan.

USAID, along with the Department of State, is leading the International Goals component of the Plan, which is aligned with the WHO End TB Strategy and the U.S. Government Global Tuberculosis Strategy (2015–2019).

The forum encouraged robust and thoughtful dialogue among stakeholders around the shared goal of addressing the MDR-TB global health crisis. USAID will continue to work with the OSTP and other partners to ensure a strategic and strong National Action Plan, which is expected to be released in the fall.