‘‘We’re pretty chuffed by being part of it,’’ University of Otago Centre for International Health co-director Philip Hill said.
It was a ‘‘huge privilege’’ and ‘‘quite a high responsibility’’, Prof Hill added.
Every year, more than 11 million people worldwide develop tuberculosis (Tb) and more than 1.4 million die from the disease.
Prof Hill said it was clear that diabetes was an important factor in driving the global Tb epidemic.
Diabetes not only increased the risk of tuberculosis, but also led to more severe and recurrent disease and more deaths from Tb.
Globally, an estimated 425million people were living with diabetes, but this number would strongly increase in future, including in sub-Saharan Africa.
Prof Hill was excited that scientists from Otago’s Global Health Institute, which includes the centre, would be involved in the European and developing countries clinical trials partnership, which is backed by the European Union.
He is the lead epidemiologist and Otago biostatistician Prof Katrina Sharples is the lead statistician.
Tb would not be eliminated unless we ‘‘tackle the huge reservoir of people already infected’’ but who had no symptoms.
People with diabetes were the ‘‘obvious next target’’ for Tb prevention, but researchers did not yet have enough information to guide policymakers.
The project consortium will be led by scientists and clinicians in the Netherlands, Uganda, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Three thousand people with diabetes and latent tuberculosis infection in Uganda and Tanzania will get either 12 weekly doses of preventive treatment or placebo, and will be followed over two years to check if the treatment could prevent Tb developing, he said.
