QIAGEN (NYSE:QGEN, Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA))))) today announced a partnership with the International Panel Physicians Association (IPPA) to support and educate panel physicians around the globe on the latest tuberculosis (TB) screening requirements. A special focus will be on the new Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) requirements and the associated benefits for patients and healthcare providers.
This collaboration follows the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updating its guidelines for new TB screening requirements for immigrants to the United States. Together, QIAGEN and IPPA are committed to promoting the use of IGRA testing, such as QIAGEN's QuantiFERON-TB Plus, to ensure a safe immigration process and support the global fight against TB. IPPA is a U.S.-based non-profit organization of physicians who are authorized to conduct immigration medical evaluations by governments of countries that receive migrants, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
"Our collaboration with IPPA enables us to raise awareness about the benefits of IGRA testing and support the U.S. national strategy to eliminate TB domestically by 2050. This partnership will lead to better detection of latent TB infection before departure for the United States and help identify immigrants who would benefit from preventive treatment," said Fernando Beils, Senior Vice President and Head of the Molecular Diagnostics business area at QIAGEN.
Alexandra Ortega, MPH, MCHES, Executive Director of the IPPA, said, "Working together with QIAGEN allows us to educate panel physicians on the latest TB screening requirements, ensuring patients receive the most accurate and efficient testing available. This partnership will play a crucial role in global efforts to combat TB."
The updated CDC guidelines now mandate that by October 1, 2024, all individuals aged above 2 years old from countries with a WHO-estimated TB incidence rate of more than 20 cases per 100,000 people will require an IGRA test as part of their U.S. immigrant visa medical exam, expanding from the previous requirement covering only children age 2 to 14.
Additionally, in anticipation of World TB Day, QIAGEN is hosting a global CPD-accredited event on March 21, 2024, with top TB experts discussing the vital theme of "TB infection screening and preventive therapy for achieving End TB strategy goals". The program will explore the global TB landscape, advances in testing and prevention, and screening of migrants. A panel discussion will address TB epidemiology, cost-effectiveness, and challenges faced by high-risk groups like migrants and children.
Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection spread primarily by coughing of patients with the active pulmonary form of the disease. The WHO estimated that there were more than 10 million new cases of active TB worldwide and 1.3 million deaths in 2022. One in four people worldwide are believed to have latent TB infections, with 5-10% of them expected at some point to develop active TB. Screening for latent TB infection is therefore essential in the effort to end TB.
QIAGEN's QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assay accurately detects TB infection by identifying interferon-gamma released by T-cells in response to TB-specific antigens. This one-visit test outperforms the century‑old, two-visit TB skin test (TST), particularly for patients from high-TB-burden countries who have received BCG vaccination. The CDC and WHO endorse the use of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus to combat the global TB epidemic.
For more information and to register for this event, please visit https://www.qiagen.com/us/applications/tb-management/events/world-tb-day