WHO Calls for Greater Inclusion of Pregnant Women in Tuberculosis Research: a Consensus Effort co-led by Dr. Jyoti Mathad

Dr. Jyoti Mathad, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Associate Professor of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, has helped shape a World Health Organization initiative aimed at closing long-standing gaps in tuberculosis (TB) research for pregnant and lactating women.

Over the past two years, Dr. Mathad has co-led the WHO Therapeutics Working Group, guiding efforts to develop recommendations that put pregnant and lactating women, a population that is often excluded in research, at the forefront of TB research.

On August 22, 2025, the WHO issued a Call to Action and Consensus Statement urging researchers, funders, and policymakers to prioritize the inclusion of pregnant and postpartum women in TB studies. Despite nearly 200,000 pregnant and postpartum women developing TB each year, they have historically been excluded from clinical trials—leaving critical gaps in our understanding of optimal dosing and safety of existing TB treatment. This initiative marks an important shift: one aimed to generate the evidence needed to guide policy and clinical care for this priority population, to better protect the health of mothers, their children, and their communities.

The WHO statement outlines key priorities:

• Closing data and surveillance gaps
• Accelerating preclinical studies
• Ensuring the safe inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in TB drug and vaccine trials
• Removing legal and regulatory barriers to participation
• Engaging communities to foster respectful, equitable research

This milestone Call to Action marks a significant step toward addressing gaps in global public health research and addressing the needs of underrepresented populations.

Please find the published documents on the official WHO website.

Dr. Jyoti Mathad (third from the left) and the Consensus Working Group members at the meeting at WHO office.

Dr. Jyoti Mathad, in front of the WHO office when she visited for the meeting to discuss the consensus statement.