Abstract
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is on the increase with several Eastern European countries having a prevalence of more than ten percent. This resistance means that patients may not be cured with standard regimens even if they adhere well to treatment. An MDR-TB programme requires advanced medical care infection control measures counselling and good follow-up as one centre in the Philippines reports in a study published in PLoS Medicine. The DOTS-Plus (directly observed treatment short-course) project is run by the Makati Medical Center supported by the Tropical Disease Foundation. The Center has exceptional management capacity and was one of the first few nongovernmental organizations to be a principal recipient of grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (known as the Global Fund). The Center itself provides high-quality tertiary care. Within this setting clinicians from the Makati Medical Center used drug history and sensitivity testing to provide individualised regimens of expensive second-line drugs estimated to cost more than US$1500 per patient. The authors report on a cohort of 171 patients with MDR-TB of whom 117 were enrolled and analysed with 61 percent cured. Indirect outcome data from patients from other countries were then combined with local cost data to estimate the number of premature deaths and secondary cases averted in order to provide an estimate of the mean cost per disability-adjusted life year gained. (excerpt)
Highlights
The directly observed treatment (DOTS)-Plus project is run by the Makati Medical Center, supported by the Tropical Disease Foundation
The World Health Organization and other agencies are promoting services to treat Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) [3]; the Global Fund is waiting in the wings, able to fund them
In the event that decision makers do scale up MDR-TB services, health policy and systems research will be important to systematically identify health systems barriers and constraints, monitor progress, and draw out lessons from such programmes [4]
Summary
The DOTS-Plus (directly observed treatment, short-course) project is run by the Makati Medical Center, supported by the Tropical Disease Foundation. TB patients is feasible and cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization and other agencies are promoting services to treat MDR-TB [3]; the Global Fund is waiting in the wings, able to fund them.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
