India Health Fund (IHF), a Tata Trusts initiative, on Tuesday announced that it is funding and supporting the development of a first-of-its-kind lollipop- and chewing gum-inspired sputum collection device for testing tuberculosis (TB) among children.
Being developed by 221B Biomedical Pvt. Ltd., and christened ‘Blow-Pop’, it will help address lakhs of under-diagnosed and delayed detection of cases of TB among children.
The unique child-friendly sample collection device is expected to be ready for roll-out over the next two years.
Studies show that around 1-1.15 lakh children get affected by TB in India. Of these, 96 percent of deaths, among paediatric TB patients, are due to a lack of bacteriologic confirmation and early treatment.
These missed cases not only contribute to higher mortality but also increased transmission of infection in communities. Moreover, the current sample collection methods are time-consuming, painful, and inconvenient for children and often need the expertise of healthcare workers, the company stated.
“The innovation is a low-cost device that will improve the safety, efficacy, and ease of sputum collection for TB in children. Inspired by a lollipop, and chewing gum user experience, the conch-shaped device needs children to simply chew and blow or cough for easy sample collection of oral fluids. Moreover, owing to its simplicity, the tool will be ideal for low-resource settings, including primary healthcare setups,” the company stated on Tuesday.
While this tool will be developed initially keeping children in mind, a similar product can be used among adults too, and its development and deployment will be explored, it claimed.
“Today’s announcement brings fresh hope for thousands of children who are missing out on TB testing because sample collection is not child friendly. Making the testing process simpler and pain-free will increase rates of testing and diagnosis, leading to fast-tracked treatment initiation and preventing unnecessary deaths in children. Moreover, it will also reduce expenditure for patients and health systems alike,” said Madhav Joshi, CEO, India Health Fund on Tuesday.
According to a press statement, India Health Fund’s latest grant to 221B Biomedical will pave the way for the development and clinical validation of 221B Biomedical’s simulated method.
“Innovating while keeping children at the center of our work is likely to bring smiles for lakhs of little ones and their caregivers. The power of this innovation lies not only in its affordability, safety, speed, and convenience for children but also in its compatibility and complimentary to existing diagnostic setups at minimal costs,” said Dr. Vivek Manoharan founder & CEO, 221B Biomedical Pvt. Ltd., India in a statement.
