Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid

Malawi is facing a critical shortage of tuberculosis drugs, with health officials warning that stocks will run out by the end of September.

It comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the country had successfully reduced tuberculosis (TB) cases by 40% over the past decade.

In March, the WHO’s country representative, Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, announced that Malawi had also seen a high rate of success in treating TB and a significant reduction in the number of deaths.

But the health ministry, which was already badly hit by the cuts in aid from the US, UK and other donors, has been forced to warn the public of low stocks of first-line TB medicines across Malawi, which means patients may find their treatment disrupted or ended.

Dr Samson Mndolo, Malawi’s secretary for health, said the low stock was down to disruption in the global supply of pharmaceutical ingredients, worsened by declining international support and aid, and said newly diagnosed patients may be denied access to the standard drug regimens.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 August 2025