The PATH, the international organization driving transformative innovation to save lives, plans to supply innovative medicine Bedaquilinum to treat multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) to Ukraine on the basis of the Yanovsky Phthisiology and Pulmonology Institute, Head of the representative office of PATH in Ukraine Kateryna Hamazina has said.

"Bedaquilinum will come to Ukraine as donation of USAID [under the Challenge TB Project] free of charge, while the price of the medicine is high. The project is bringing the medicine to Ukraine and will support its application. We plan that it will be shipped at the end of April. The process is close to the final stage," she said.

Director General of the Public Health Center at the Health Ministry Natalia Nizova said that at present the medicine is not registered in the country, but there is a possibility of registering it quickly.

Nizova also said that the Health Ministry is holding talks with manufacturers on placing Ukraine to the list of countries which have preferences in purchase of the medicine.

"We believe that during the next national anti-TB program – from 2017 to 2020 – we have a real chance to treat all patients," she said.

Currently the medicine is used in more than 70 countries. A total of 5,700 patients are included in the program to treat TB using Bedaquilinum.