BENGALURU: To shorten the duration of treatment for drug-resistant TB patients (DRTB), the health department has launched an injectable-free Bedaquiline regimen. Usually, DRTB patients do not respond to normal treatment of 3-4 injections daily.
“The regular medicines are given for 9 to 24 months. However, Bedaquiline is given only for 9 to 12 months. There are various kinds of drug-resistant TB patients and in Karnataka, the number is 3,000. Of these, 1,000 are Rifampicin (antibiotic) resistant. These patients will be administered Bedaquiline,” said Dr Ramesh Reddy, joint director, Tuberculosis.
A culture test is done to know which drug the person is resistant to. There are around 500 patients in the state who are resistant to multiple drugs. The initiative was launched on Monday by Dr Arundathi Chandrasekhar, director, National Health Mission, and is a step towards Kshaya Muktha (TB-free) Karnataka, the health department said.