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Each year, millions of people in the United States get a tuberculosis skin test to see if they have the infection that still affects one third of the worlds population. But the standard diagnostic test is difficult to give, because a hypodermic needle must be inserted at a precise angle and depth in the arm to successfully check for tuberculosis. Now, a team led by University of Washington engineers has created a patch with tiny, biodegradable needles that can penetrate the skin and precisely deliver a tuberculosis test. The researchers published their results online Aug. 26 in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

For the first time, the WHO Prequalification of Medicines Program has prequalified a medicine for treatment of a neglected tropical disease. NTD002, is a 100 mg tablet of diethylcarbamazine (DEC), manufactured by Eisai Co., Ltd., a Japanese pharmaceutical company, that has committed to donate over an initial six-year period 2.2 billion DEC tablets to WHO, for use in preventive chemotherapy aimed at elimination of lymphatic filariasis. Acceptance of the donation by WHO was dependent on prequalification of the product by WHO, to verify that it meets international pharmaceutical quality standards.