Instead of seven tablets, TB patients will be, henceforth, given fixed drug combinations (FDCs), three or four drugs in a single pill under the new daily drug regimen for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) that was rolled out across all States on Tuesday. Some of the States have already launched the new regimen that aims to achieve the goal of its elimination by 2025. It will replace the existing three-times a week treatment.
“It (new regimen) will help in reducing relapse rate and the number of multi-drug-resistant TB cases. To simplify the treatment, now patients will be put on a fixed-drug combination as a single dose instead of several individual drugs. It will also reduce the drug burden,” said an official from the RNTCP under the Health Ministry.
The old regimen had led to increasing instances of drug resistance and relapse, which occurs when a patient is declared cured by a doctor but tests positive for tuberculosis again. In India, two deaths in every five minutes and 600 deaths per day happen due to the TB.
All drug procurement logistics and trainings have been completed by the states, a senior Health Ministry official said, adding some states have already implemented it.
“Also, children suffering from tuberculosis won’t have to take the bitter tablets anymore as they will be replaced with easily-dissolvable and flavoured drugs,” said the official.
Since 1997, under the RNTCP, patients were being administered drugs thrice a week (the intermittent drug regimen).
“Daily treatment regimen is likely to be more effective with lesser relapses. This is expected to reduce drug resistance with greater compliance,” the official said.
India topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016. Also, India along with China and the Russia accounted for almost of half of the 490,000, multi drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases registered in 2016.