High success and low recurrence with shorter treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant TB in Nepal

Nine drug-resistant TB centres, some of them supported by Damien Foundation in Nepal where >80% of multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) patients are treated.

To assess the uptake, effectiveness and safety of the 9-12-month shorter treatment regimen (STR) in MDR/RR-TB patients registered from January 2018 to December 2019.

This was a cohort study involving secondary programme data.

Of 631 patients, 301 (48.0%) started and continued STR. Key reasons for ineligibility to start/continue STR were baseline resistance or exposure to second-line drugs (62.0%), contact with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) or pre-XDR-TB (7.0%) patients and unavailability of STR drugs (6.0%). Treatment success was 79.6%; unsuccessful outcomes were death (12.0%), lost to follow-up (5.3%), failure (2.7%) and not evaluated (0.7%). Unsuccessful outcomes were significantly associated with HIV positivity and patient age ⩾55 years, with adjusted relative risk of respectively 2.39 (95% CI 1.52-3.77) and 3.86 (95% CI 2.30-6.46). Post-treatment recurrence at 6 and 12 months was respectively 0.5% and 2.4%. Serious adverse events (SAEs) were seen in 15.3% patients - hepatotoxicity and ototoxicity were most common.

STR had a modest uptake, high treatment success and low post-treatment recurrence. For proper detection and management of SAEs, improving pharmacovigilance might be considered. Availability of rapid diagnostic test for second-line drugs is crucial for correct patient management.