During the 52nd Union World Conference on Lung Health this week, Doctors Without Borders announced the results of TB-PRACTECAL. A total of 89% of patients on the new regimen (which is shorter and less toxic) were cured, compared with 52% in the standard of care group.
TB-PRACTECAL is the first multicountry, randomised and controlled clinical trial to report on the effectiveness and safety of a six-month treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant TB (DR-TB). Historically this is a form of TB that is very difficult to treat, requiring multidrug regimens that have to be given over nine to 24 months.
MSF and partners tested a regimen of four medications (known as “BPaLM”) containing two of three new medicines that have been developed in recent years. The study compared the results of this four-drug, six-month regimen with those obtained from a group that received the locally accepted standard of DR-TB care offered in the public healthcare system.
Overwhelmingly, 89% of patients on the new regimen (which is shorter and less toxic) were cured, compared with 52% in the standard of care group.
This is excellent news, and we hope that the results of this trial will add to growing evidence from other sources…