(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006) Nathanson, Eva; Lambregts-van Weezenbeek, Catharina; Gupta, Rajesh; Blöndal, Kai; Caminero, José A.; Cegielski, J. Peter; Danilovits, Manfred; Espinal, Marcos A.; Hollo, Vahur; Jaramillo, Ernesto; Leimane, Vaira; Nunn, Paul; Pasechnikov, Alexander; Tupasi, Thelma; Wells, Charles; Raviglione, Mario C.; Rich, Michael; Bayona, Jaime; Mitnick, Carole; Mukherjee, Joia
Evidence of successful management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) is mainly generated from referral hospitals in high-income countries. We evaluate the management of MDRTB in 5 resource-limited countries: Estonia, Latvia, Peru, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation. All projects were approved by the Green Light Committee for access to quality-assured second-line drugs provided at reduced price for MDRTB management. Of 1,047 MDRTB patients evaluated, 119 (11%) were new, and 928 (89%) had received treatment previously. More than 50% of previously treated patients had received both first- and second-line drugs, and 65% of all patients had infections that were resistant to both first- and second-line drugs. Treatment was successful in 70% of all patients, but success rate was higher among new (77%) than among previously treated patients (69%). In resource-limited settings, treatment of MDRTB provided through, or in collaboration with, national TB programs can yield results similar to those from wealthier settings.
