Contact: Teju Dharmapuri Vachaspathi, teju.dv@treatmentactiongroup.org
August 20, 2026 — Treatment Action Group (TAG) welcomes the access price for PlusLife MiniDock MTB near point-of-care (NPOC) tuberculosis (TB) tests, now newly available for $2.60 per test.
PlusLife MiniDock MTB is the first product in the new NPOC test class recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2026. This new class of tests bring rapid, accurate molecular diagnosis closer to where people seek care — including district hospitals, community health centers, and outreach sites, expanding access to higher-quality testing beyond centralized laboratories. They provide results within 30 minutes, are battery operated, and can be performed with minimal hands-on work by health care workers with basic technical training. By enabling molecular testing in settings that have often relied on smear microscopy or referral to distant facilities, NPOC tests can help reduce diagnostic delays, limit loss to follow-up, and support faster treatment initiation.
The PlusLife MiniDock MTB platform requires two instruments: a thermolysis machine, priced at $180, and the PlusLife MiniDock, priced at $155. The tests are sold for $3.60 per test. With funding from the Gates Foundation, TB programs, and other entities procuring PlusLife MiniDock MTB tests through Stop TB Partnership, Global Drug Facility and Global Fund’s procurement mechanism wambo.org will receive a $1.00-per-test discount, bringing the price to $2.60 per test.
The $1.00-per-test reduction, from $3.60 to $2.60, represents a 27.8% decrease in the price of each test. For the same consumables budget, countries can procure approximately 38% more tests. At a volume of 100,000 tests, for example, the new price would save $100,000 — resources that could support an additional 38,000 tests or other essential elements of decentralized TB testing.
“We have a year left to meet the target endorsed by UN Member States during the 2023 High-Level Meeting on TB, for everyone to be diagnosed with a WHO-recommended rapid molecular test by 2027”, said Teju Dharmapuri Vachaspathi, TB project associate at TAG. “Countries must act quickly to close the deadly diagnostic gap. The new $2.60 price available through the GDF gives countries an opportunity to expand rapid molecular TB testing in primary health centers and communities. Continued market-shaping investments will be essential to bring more near point-of-care platforms to market to support competition and make quality molecular testing accessible to everyone who needs it.”
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About Treatment Action Group
Treatment Action Group (TAG) is an independent, activist, and community-based research and policy think tank working to end the epidemics of HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). TAG works to ensure that lifesaving science reaches the people who need it most by advancing research, strengthening community leadership, and promoting equitable access to prevention, treatment, and care.
References:
- Stop TB Partnership Global Drug Facility. August 2026. Diagnostics Catalogue. Geneva: Stop TB Partnership Global Drug Facility; 2026. https://www.stoptb.org/what-we-do/facilitate-access-tb-drugs-diagnostics/global-drug-facility-gdf/products-catalog.
- World Health Organization (WHO). Near Point-of-Care Tests, Tongue Swabs, and Sputum Pooling for TB. Geneva: WHO Global TB Programme; 2026. Available at: https://www.who.int/teams/global-programme-on-tuberculosis-and-lung-health/diagnosis-treatment/npoc-tongue-swabs-and-sputum-pooling-for-tb
- Stop TB Partnership. United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis. Available at: https://www.stoptb.org/what-we-do/advocate-endtb/un-high-level-meeting-tb. Accessed August 17, 2026.
- The Global Fund. CIFF Commits Additional US$50 Million to the Global Fund to Scale Up TB Diagnosis. September 23, 2025. https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/2025/2025-09-23-ciff-commits-additional-us-50-million-global-fund-scale-up-tb-diagnosis/.
- Treatment Action Group. Near Point-of-Care TB Tests: What Communities Need to Know and Advocate for in Global Fund Grant Cycle 8. April 2026. Available at: https://www.treatmentactiongroup.org/publication/npoc-factsheet/.