Boston University School of Public Health: New Analysis Identifies Feasible TB Diagnostic Instrument Prices for Healthcare Systems in Low-Resource Countries

13 March 2026

Boston University School of Public Health news story

A new study found that offering decentralized TB testing in local clinics could be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries if the diagnostic instruments used to run those tests were priced roughly between $400 and $800.

The study built a mathematical model that examined whether decentralized TB testing is actually worth the cost and, if so, at what instrument price point it becomes worthwhile. Unlike centralized testing, where one instrument (the diagnostic tool used to detect TB) serves many people across clinics, decentralized testing means placing an instrument in each local clinic. That makes the price of each instrument a make-or-break factor for whether this approach is affordable for countries with high TB burden.

Read the full news story here.

Source: Boston University School of Public Health