What is the world’s most life-saving drug? Penicillin against infections? Quinine against malaria? Furosemide against heart failure? Hydrochorothiazide against hypertension? My nomination I hold here in my hand. João Manuel has been coughing blood and loosing weight for six months. His chest X-ray shows white out of both lungs and he requires 5 liters of oxygen each minute to sustain his life. What was the leading cause of death in North America just 100 years ago? Tuberculosis. And TB remains among the top three kills in today’s most disadvantaged nations, attacking people like João Manuel. Anti-tuberculosis medications, taken correctly and in combination, are extremely effective. Here is João Manuel life-saving drug: a combination pill with isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide.
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