A new treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB

10 Aug 2024

India is getting ready to roll out BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) regimen for all multi/extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients.

  • This is a significant move in the country’s battle against with the new regime indicating good results in countries including Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine, etc.
  • The continuing spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most urgent and difficult challenges facing global TB control.
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB: Patients who are infected with strains resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, called multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, are practically incurable by standard first-line treatment. 

Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB: It  refers to MDR-TB strains that are resistant to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs. 

Causes:

The main causes of the spread of resistant TB are weak medical systems, amplification of resistance patterns through incorrect treatment, and transmission in communities and facilities. 

What is BPaL?

  • BPaL is a new all-oral combination of drugs consisting of Bedaquiline (B), Pretomanid (Pa) and Linezolid (L). 
  • The new regimen is also expected to be more cost-effective, reducing treatment costs significantly.

Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes

Significance

  • Cost Effective: “After the availability of generic bedaquiline cost to TB programmes has fallen – (BPaLM price is US$426 (US$130 bedaquiline, US$238 pretomanid, US$31 linezolid and US$27 moxifloxacin). 
  • Enhance Treatment Outcomes: The regimen shortens treatment duration from 18-24 months to about six months and simplifies the process to three daily tablets, compared to the previous regimen of 14 drugs.
  • Increase Adherences treatment:  A shorter regimen, such as BPaL, which is all oral and requires lesser doses per day, will make it easier for a patient to adhere to and complete treatments,

Impact on Treatment

  • Currently, India’s success rate for MDR/RR-TB is 56%, and 48% for XDR-TB. 
  • The BPaL regimen, endorsed by the WHO, aims to improve these rates by offering a shorter, less toxic treatment.
  •  According to a recent study, the BPaL/BPaLM regimens have been proven to be more effective, affordable, and less burdensome for patients.

Elimination Strategy

Although patients harbouring MDR and XDR strains present a formidable challenge for treatment, cure is often possible with early identification of resistance and use of a properly designed regimen

  • Scaling up NAAT (diagnosis) coverage will be an essential element of the strategy.
  • Community-based programs can improve treatment outcomes by allowing patients to be treated in their homes and addressing socioeconomic barriers to adherence.

Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store

A nucleic acid amplification test, or NAAT, for tuberculosis (TB) is a molecular test used to detect the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in a sputum or other respiratory sample.

 

Must Read
UPSC Daily Editorials UPSC Daily Current Affairs
Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store 
Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store UPSC Test Series 2024
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store

 

Archive Calendar

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Need help preparing for UPSC or State PSCs?

Connect with our experts to get free counselling & start preparing

Know about Physics Wallah

Physics Wallah is an Indian online education platform, that provides accessible & comprehensive learning experiences to students of classes 6 to 12 and those preparing for JEE and NEET exams. We also provide extensive NCERT solutions, sample papers, NEET, JEE Mains, BITSAT previous year papers, which makes us a one-stop solution for all resources. Physics Wallah also caters to over 3.5 million registered students and over 78 lakh+ Youtube subscribers with 4.8 rating on its app.

We Stand Out because

We successfully provide students with intensive courses by India's qualified & experienced faculties. PW strives to make the learning experience comprehensive and accessible for students of all sections of society. We believe in empowering every single student who couldn't dream of a good career in engineering and medical field earlier.

Our Key Focus Areas

Physics Wallah’s main focus is to create accessible learning experiences for students all over India. With courses like Lakshya, Udaan, Arjuna & many others, we have been able to provide a ready solution for lakhs of aspirants. From providing Chemistry, Maths, Physics formulae to giving e-books of eminent authors, PW aims to provide reliable solutions for student prep.

What Makes Us Different

Physics Wallah strives to develop a comprehensive pedagogical structure for students, where they get a state-of-the-art learning experience with study material and resources. Apart from catering students preparing for JEE Mains and NEET, PW also provides study material for each state board like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and others.

Aiming for UPSC?

Download Our App

      
Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

<div class="new-fform">






    </div>

    Subscribe our Newsletter
    Sign up now for our exclusive newsletter and be the first to know about our latest Initiatives, Quality Content, and much more.
    *Promise! We won't spam you.
    Yes! I want to Subscribe.