The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has approved the BPaLM treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) under its National TB Elimination Program (NTEP).
Key points
- The new BPaLM regimen is a four-drug combination of Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid, and Moxifloxacin. It promises to revolutionize MDR-TB treatment in India.
- This shorter, six-month treatment option is set to replace the traditional 20-month procedure, offering higher success rates with fewer side effects.
- This treatment will benefit approximately 75,000 drug-resistant TB patients in India. It not only significantly reduces treatment time, but also promises substantial cost savings.
- India has the world’s largest TB laboratory network with 7,767 rapid molecular testing facilities and 87 culture and drug susceptibility testing laboratories spread across the length and breadth of the country.
- This widespread laboratory network will support in timely detection of MDR-TB and quick initiation of TB treatment.
