Health Policy Watch: WHO Recommends Worldwide Adoption Of All Oral Regimen For MDR/RR-TB
“The World Health Organization issued new guidelines for the treatment of multi drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis on Wednesday, prioritizing for the first time an all-oral treatment regimen. The new treatment recommends replacing the painful injectable drugs that patients had to endure under previous treatment guidelines with a shorter course of oral bedaquiline — one of only three new drugs approved for treatment of TB within the last half century…” (Ren, 12/13).

Science Speaks: WHO recommends expanded access to new, shorter, all oral regimens for drug-resistant TB
“…Among the data leading to the updated recommendation, released in a WHO Rapid Communication Thursday, was data from South Africa’s TB program showing that replacing the injected medicine with bedaquiline — approved in 2012 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat drug resistant TB and still one of the newest tuberculosis treatment medicines — led to better patient outcomes and less loss to follow up care…” (Barton, 12/13).