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6-Month Oral TB Regimens Found Cost-Effective, Boost Health Outcomes in India

A new ICMR study has found that shorter, six-month, all-oral treatment regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis are cost-effective and deliver superior health outcomes compared to longer standard regimens. The research shows the health system spends significantly less per patient for each additional quality-adjusted life year gained with the newer regimens. These shorter treatments can improve patient adherence, reduce morbidity, and allow a faster return to normal life. The findings provide crucial economic evidence to support India's national priorities for optimizing resources and accelerating progress toward TB elimination.

Key Points: Shorter Oral TB Regimens Cost-Effective in India, Says ICMR Study

  • Cost-effective 6-month regimens
  • Better health outcomes at lower cost
  • Improves treatment adherence
  • Reduces burden on health system
2 min read

Shorter 6‑month all oral TB regimens found cost effective in India

ICMR study finds 6-month all-oral TB regimens are cost-effective, improve health outcomes, and reduce treatment burden for drug-resistant TB in India.

"for each additional Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained, the health system spends Rs 379 less per patient - Health Ministry Statement"

New Delhi, Feb 12

Shorter, six‑month and all‑oral treatment regimens for multidrug‑resistant and rifampicin‑resistant tuberculosis are cost‑effective and deliver better health outcomes than longer regimens, an ICMR study said on Thursday.

With shorter regimen, "for each additional Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained, the health system spends Rs 379 less per patient compared to the standard regimen, indicating better health outcomes at lower costs," said the study, according to a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare statement.

The study compared cost-effectiveness of bedaquiline-based regimens-BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid) with the existing bedaquiline-containing shorter (9-11 months) and longer (18-20 months) treatment regimens used under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

It also compared BPaLM (with moxifloxacin) with existing regimen and found the former highly cost‑effective, costing only Rs 37 more per patient per additional QALY gained compared with the standard regimen.

Both regimens were associated with lower or comparable overall healthcare costs, including medicines, hospital visits, and follow-up care.

Multidrug‑resistant and rifampicin‑resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR‑TB) poses significant treatment challenges due to prolonged treatment duration, adverse effects, and higher costs.

Shorter all-oral regimens can improve treatment adherence, reduce patient morbidity, and enable faster return to normal life, while also lowering the burden on the health system, said the findings.

"The findings provide important economic evidence to support the use of shorter, all-oral regimens for MDR or RR-TB management in India. By reducing treatment duration from 9-18 months or longer to six months, these regimens align with national priorities to optimise resource utilisation and accelerate progress towards TB elimination," the statement said.

Current options for treating tuberculosis (TB) that are resistant to rifampicin (RR-TB) are limited and available regimens are often lengthy and poorly tolerated.

Delhi's Intermediate Reference Laboratory, Tuberculosis Centre, recently received its first certification from the Central Tuberculosis Division (CTD) to conduct Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) for bedaquiline (BDQ) and Pretomanid (Pa), used globally for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
My uncle went through the longer MDR-TB treatment. The side effects were terrible and he almost gave up. An all-oral, shorter course would have saved him so much suffering. I hope the government rolls this out across all districts quickly. Access in rural areas is key.
R
Rohit P
Cost-effective for the system is good, but what about the actual cost to the patient? Will these new drugs be available free of cost under NTEP, or will patients have to pay? That's the real question for most families.
S
Sarah B
As someone working in public health, the improved adherence angle is crucial. Shorter duration directly translates to higher completion rates. This is a significant step towards TB elimination. The certification for DST in Delhi is also a welcome development for proper diagnosis.
V
Vikram M
While this is promising, I hope the study also looked at potential long-term side effects of the new drug combinations. Sometimes faster treatment comes with other risks. Continuous monitoring after rollout is essential.
K
Karthik V
Excellent research. This aligns with the PM's goal of TB Mukt Bharat. Faster recovery means people can get back to work and support their families sooner. A healthy population is a productive population. 🇮🇳

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