Venlo, the Netherlands, Oct. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thousands of healthcare professionals, advocates, and public policymakers from over 170 countries are set to participate from October 8-11 in the annual Global TB Summit, sponsored by QIAGEN, as the world confronts the resurgence of tuberculosis as one of the deadliest infectious diseases.
After a decline of about 2% per year between 2020 and 2022, the tuberculosis incident rate rose by 3.9% in 2022. An estimated 10.6 million people worldwide fell ill with tuberculosis in 2022, leading to 1.3 million deaths. This made tuberculosis the second leading infectious disease killer after COVID-19.1
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), access to early and accurate diagnosis is a key factor for the End TB Strategy.1 One test endorsed by the WHO is QIAGEN’s leading TB blood test QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT®-Plus), producing more accurate results than the century-old skin test. It is unaffected by prior BCG vaccination and is optimized to elicit both CD8 and CD4 T cell responses. With over 125 million tests distributed across more than 130 countries, QIAGEN’s QuantiFERON technology has been pivotal in national TB control strategies, aiding in the early detection and prevention of TB.
“Tuberculosis remains a significant global threat, even though it is both preventable and curable. At the Global TB Summit 2024, we are focusing on the most pressing challenges. Our mission is clear: to harness innovation and foster global collaboration in our fight against this deadly disease. Only by coming together and leveraging our collective expertise can we seek to have a TB-free world,” said Glen Hansen, Chief Medical Officer at QIAGEN.
This year’s Global TB Summit, scheduled in a hybrid format with virtual and in-person meetings in London, will gather to hear from over 35 leading TB experts about new ways to address the urgent need for intensified action against TB. The summit is free to attend online and offers participants the opportunity to earn CPD and CME credits.
The event will cover critical topics such as global and regional TB updates, challenges in special populations, the impact of co-morbidities and the socioeconomic factors influencing TB. Attendees will also hear powerful personal narratives from patients and healthcare workers on the frontlines, providing both educational and inspirational content for all participants. Additionally, the event will cover advancements in TB diagnostics, prevention and treatment strategies.
The identification and treatment of latent TB infection is critical to curbing the spread of the disease. An estimated one quarter of the world’s population is believed to be infected with latent TB. This makes the infection a silent threat, with those infected showing no symptoms of the disease. The infection can stay latent for years, but may progress to active TB in some patients, further transmitting and spreading the disease. QFT-Plus plays a crucial role in identifying those infected before they develop symptoms, enabling preventative treatment that can break the cycle of TB transmission.
Professor Onn Min Kon, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Imperial College, England, and chair of the Global TB Summit, emphasized the event’s importance: "With a focus on the global challenges in TB control, as well as the latest advancements in diagnostics and new strategies in TB management, I am confident that this year’s Global TB Summit will offer invaluable insights that are directly applicable to your practice."
With a history spanning more than a decade, the Global TB Summit has become a cornerstone event for learning about the latest developments in TB, networking with peers and gaining insights from real-world clinical cases. The full program as well as the registration form can be found here: https://tbsummit.qiagen.com/
1) WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2023 Factsheet, https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/hq-tuberculosis/global-tuberculosis-report-2023/global-tb-report-2023-factsheet.pdf?sfvrsn=f0dfc8a4_4&download=true; accessed on September 16, 2024
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of June 30, 2024, QIAGEN employed more than 5,900 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at https://www.qiagen.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products, timing for launch and development, marketing and/or regulatory approvals, financial and operational outlook, growth and expansion, collaborations, markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected adjusted net sales and adjusted diluted earnings results, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and international operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics), variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes, the commercial development of markets for our products to customers in academia, pharma, applied testing and molecular diagnostics; changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors' products; market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses; actions of governments, global or regional economic developments, weather or transportation delays, natural disasters, political or public health crises, and its impact on the demand for our products and other aspects of our business, or other force majeure events; as well as the possibility that expected benefits related to recent or pending acquisitions may not materialize as expected; and the other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Source: QIAGEN N.V.
Category: Corporate
