FILE PHOTO:The logo of Johnson & Johnson is seen on a Brussels' office of the company in Diegem, Belgium September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Global health aid agency Unitaid has written to Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) CEO, Joaquin Duato, urging "immediate action" to expand access to the company's tuberculosis drug bedaquiline, which is protected by patents hindering generic alternatives. The agency is urging J&J to remove all secondary patents and ensure that lower prices are available to all countries with high TB cases. TB, a bacterial disease that mostly affects the lungs, is preventable and treatable, but 10 million people catch it annually. Around 1.6 million people died from TB in 2021, almost entirely in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Persons: Johnson, Yves Herman, Unitaid, Joaquin Duato, Philippe Duneton, J, Emma Farge, Jennifer Rigby, Devika Nair, Susan Fenton, Elaine Hardcastle, Leslie Adler Organizations: Johnson, REUTERS, Rights, UN, Assembly, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, South Africa, Belarus, Ukraine