In a significant stride towards eradicating tuberculosis (TB) from the nation, the National TB Elimination Programme has incorporated Pune-based startup Mylab’s PathoDetect MTB RIF & INH Resistance Detection Kit to further its effort to eliminate TB by 2025.

Recognised as India's first multidrug-resistant TB test, it is now integrated into the Ni-kshay portal, amplifying the nation's capabilities in the fight against tuberculosis.

The inclusion of the PathoDetect kit in the National TB Elimination Programme marks a pivotal moment in India's commitment to combating tuberculosis, a disease that continues to pose a significant public health challenge. This manual-intervention free test, designed for the rapid and accurate detection of multidrug-resistant TB, offers advanced capabilities for identifying TB and resistance to Rifampicin (RIF) and Isoniazid (INH), two critical first-line drugs in TB treatment.

Hasmukh Rawal, MD & Co-founder, Mylab Discovery Solutions, said, "The availability of MTB on the Ni-kshay platform represents a milestone in India's fight against TB. As India takes a giant leap forward in its fight against TB, this diagnostic solution will make a substantial impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of TB control measures. It will prove beneficial for the State authorities to report the TB cases.”

“We have dedicated our efforts to provide the most comprehensive portfolio of solutions that cater to the critical aspects of screening, detection, and prevention in the realm of TB. This includes the incorporation of our indigenous latent TB test, Cy-TB, into NTEP, as well as the integration of the MTB RIF & INH Resistance Detection Kit into NTEP, along with an AI-enabled portable X-Ray device for TB screening”, he added.