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UPSC » Daily News Analysis ‘India to roll out new treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB ‘: 10 August

Daily News Analysis ‘India to roll out new treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB ‘: 10 August

India is preparing to launch the WHO approved BPaL regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Table of Content

About BPaL regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid):

The BPaL regimen is a novel treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).
Shortened Treatment Duration: The BPaL regimen reduces treatment time to just six months, compared to the conventional 18-24 months for MDR-TB.
Higher Efficacy: Clinical trials have shown cure rates of over 90%, making it a highly effective treatment option for patients with drug-resistant TB.

About drug-resistant TB:

It occurs when the TB bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) become resistant to the drugs typically used to treat the infection.
Types of drug-resistant TB disease:
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) disease: It is caused by TB bacteria resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, the primary first-line drugs.

- Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB): MDR-TB with additional resistance to any fluoroquinolone and at least one of the second-line injectable drugs (amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin).
- Pre-Extensively Drug-Resistant TB (Pre-XDR TB): Resistant to rifampicin and fluoroquinolones or any second-line injectable drugs but not both.

Why in News?

India is preparing to launch the WHO approved BPaL regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis.