New agreements with DeepTek and Delft Imaging reduce annual software costs by up to 65 percent.
Unitaid and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) today announced new agreements with two leading providers of AI-powered tuberculosis screening software, DeepTek and Delft Imaging, that will dramatically reduce the cost of computer-aided detection (CAD) software for tuberculosis (TB) programs in low- and middle-income countries, reducing costs by up to 65 percent through an annual flat fee for unlimited use per connected X-ray machine.
Tuberculosis remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, and chest X-rays are an important screening tool to ensure people have access to life-saving care. However, in many countries where the burden of tuberculosis is highest, the ability to perform and interpret chest x-rays is limited by many factors, including a severe shortage of radiologists – in some areas as few as one per million people. Without specialists who can read images, screening programs stall, and people can go undetected for months, silently spreading disease throughout the community.
CAD software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to read chest X-rays and detect signs of tuberculosis, providing the performance of a trained radiologist. This eliminates a critical bottleneck: a chest X-ray taken in a village or mobile clinic can be analyzed immediately, giving people same-day screening results. However, until now, many programs have had to pay tens of thousands of dollars in upfront costs for software licenses, computer hardware, installation, training and extended warranties.
Recent disruptions in donor funding and the expiration of many previously purchased access licenses have made these costs increasingly prohibitive. Many programs that have expanded screening in recent years now face renewals or extended warranties at prices that their domestic budgets cannot absorb. The new pricing model helps address this challenge with a single, transparent annual fee of $2,500 to $2,850 per x-ray unit, up from $7,000 to $12,000 per unit per year. The license allows unlimited CAD scans per unit and covers software, installation and training, software updates and maintenance with no hidden additional costs. The agreements also establish transparent pricing for additional indications where the same software can be used, such as: B. cardiomegaly, silicosis and lung cancer to enable the use of CAD as a more comprehensive interpretation tool for chest x-rays.
Combined with the price reduction for portable X-ray machines negotiated by Unitaid and CHAI in 2025, today’s announcement means programs can now use a complete AI-powered TB screening solution, X-ray and CAD software together, at a fraction of the previous cost. For the countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis, this means changing opportunities on a large scale.
“Tuberculosis is curable, but only if you get infected. Today, millions of people go undiagnosed simply because there is no expert to read their X-rays,” said Dr. Neil Buddy Shah, CEO of CHAI. “AI-powered software can now do this in seconds, and this agreement makes it far more affordable and dramatically increases the number of people who can be diagnosed and treated.”
“By reducing the cost of AI interpreting software by up to 65%, these agreements demonstrate how market shaping can make proven innovations more accessible,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director at Unitaid. “At a time when funding constraints threaten progress in tuberculosis detection, reducing the cost of these tools is critical to helping countries improve access to timely tuberculosis diagnosis and care and making a difference for millions of people.”
The agreements cover public sector and nonprofit buyers in all 138 low-, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries as defined by the World Bank. The CAD products from DeepTek and Delft are now available directly from the suppliers.
Notes for editors
About computer-aided detection of tuberculosis: CAD software interprets chest X-rays using artificial intelligence to identify abnormalities suggestive of pulmonary tuberculosis and creates an abnormality score that indicates the likelihood of the presence of tuberculosis. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends CAD for tuberculosis screening and triage in people aged 15 years and older and has identified six products in 2025 that meet its performance standards, including Delft Imaging’s CAD4TB and DeepTek’s Genki. The field is evolving rapidly; Neither agreement restricts use in age groups where the products receive regulatory approval, and both providers have committed to providing future access to children at no additional cost. Unitaid and its partners are also exploring the use of CAD software for tuberculosis screening in children, for which new evidence is still emerging.
About the agreements: The agreements offer both one-year access ($2,500-$2,850 per connected X-ray machine) and three-year term ($7,500 per connected X-ray machine), giving programs the flexibility to align procurement with their funding cycles.
About CHAI: The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries, while strengthening the capabilities of governments and the private sector in these countries. For more information, visit www.clintonhealthaccess.org.
About Unitaid: Unitaid is a global health organization that saves lives by making essential health products available and affordable to people in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid is organized by the World Health Organization. For more information, visit www.unitaid.org
About ASCENT: The agreements were developed under the ASCENT DR-TB Market Access Partnership, a Unitaid-funded initiative led by the KNCV TB Foundation with CHAI and the Aurum Institute as market access partners. ASCENT helps countries accelerate adoption of effective tuberculosis treatment regimens and shapes markets to ensure global affordability of WHO-recommended tuberculosis products. For more information, visit www.ascentdrtb.org
DeepTek: DeepTek is a global leader in AI-powered radiology, operating in more than 2,000 healthcare locations worldwide and touching a patient every five seconds. Its AI-powered chest X-ray solution detects more than 20 abnormalities, including tuberculosis (TB), and is US FDA cleared, CE marked and recommended by WHO for tuberculosis screening. Trusted by national TB programs, governments and global health organizations, DeepTek is enabling large-scale lung health screening in LMICs by supporting earlier disease detection, reducing diagnostic delays and expanding access to high-quality diagnostic services. For more information, visit www.DeepTek.ai
About Delft: Delft Imaging develops and delivers diagnostic imaging solutions tailored to strengthen healthcare systems in vulnerable and resource-limited environments. Since 2002, the organization has supported healthcare programs with AI-powered screening, digital radiography, mobile clinics, point-of-care ultrasound, capacity building, and long-term service and support to improve patient outcomes in the areas of lung health and maternal health. To date, Delft Imaging solutions have supported the screening of 55 million people in over 90 countries, implementing more than 3,000 installations and training more than 4,300 healthcare professionals. For more information, visit www.delftimaging.com
https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/news/unitaid-and-chai-cut-cost-of-ai-screening-software-unlocking-affordable-tb-detection-in-communities-without-radiologists/
