The World Health Organisation has launched tuberculosis research toolkit for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

The international organisation said in a statement on Monday.

The toolkit was aimed at closing the gap between health research studies and lactating mothers which has often excluded women carrying pregnancies or nursing their infants and consequently delayed their access to any medical breakthrough.

“Pregnant and lactating women continue to be underrepresented in TB research, resulting in critical evidence gaps that delay access to innovations and optimal care,” said Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO’s department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. ”This new WHO toolkit will help close these gaps by advancing their inclusion in research, ensuring that women and their infants benefit from scientific advances and accelerating progress towards ending TB for everyone.”

The tuberculosis design toolkit is an “online resource designed to support the earlier and optimal inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in tuberculosis (TB) research.”

The toolkit provides guidance on tuberculosis vaccine trial considerations, trial design and pharmacokinetics before, during and after pregnancy and also tuberculosis pre-clinical trial.