BPaLM regimen for drug-resistant TB in India

Context:

Union Health Ministry approves introduction of new shorter and more efficacious treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB in India.

BPaLM regimen consisting of four-drug combination –

1. Bedaquiline,
2. Pretomanid,
3. Linezolid and
4. Moxifloxacin,

has been proven to be safe, more effective and a quicker treatment option than the previous MDR-TB treatment procedure.

1. This move by the Union Government is expected to significantly boost the country’s progress to achieve its national goal of Ending TB in India

Background:

1. The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), previously known as Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), aims to strategically reduce TB burden in India by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals.
2. This vision was first articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Delhi End TB Summit in March 2018.
3. In 2020, the RNTCP was renamed as the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) to emphasize the aim of the Government of India to eliminate TB in India by 2025.
4. It reached over a billion people in 632 districts/reporting units and is responsible for carrying out the Government of India’s five-year National Strategic Plans for TB elimination along with the States/UTs.
5. The National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination was launched to achieve the target of ending TB by 2025 in a mission mode.

About Multi-Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) MDR-TB

• Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) MDR-TB: Itoccurs whenMycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causeTB, becomeresistanttoat least isoniazid and rifampicin, thetwo most potent TB drugs
• Causes:
• Inappropriate or incorrect use of antimicrobial drugs, or
• premature treatment interruptioncan cause drug resistance, which can then be transmitted, especially in crowded settings such as prisons and hospitals orUsing antibiotics in livestock farming etc.