The Health Ministry on Friday approved the introduction of the BPaLM regimen – a novel treatment for Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) under its National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) as a highly effective and shorter treatment option.
The Ministry stated that this regimen includes a new anti-TB drug namely Pretomanid in combination with Bedaquiline & Linezolid (with/without Moxifloxacin). Pretomanid has earlier been approved and licensed for use in India by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
“The BPaLM regimen, which consists four-drug combination – Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid and Moxifloxacin, has been proven to be safe, more effective and a quicker treatment option than the previous MDR-TB treatment procedure. While traditional MDR-TB treatments can last up to 20 months with severe side effects, BPaLM regimen can cure the drug-resistant TB in just six months with high treatment success rate. India’s 75,000 drug-resistant TB patients will now be able to avail benefit of this shorter regimen. With the other advantages, there will be an overall saving in cost,” it stated.
Department of Health & Family Welfare, in consultation with Department of Health Research ensured validation of this new TB treatment regimen that witnessed a thorough review of evidences by in-country subject experts.
Department of Health & Family Welfare has also got a Health Technology Assessment done through the Department of Health Research to ensure that this MDR-TB treatment option is safe and cost effective.
A country-wide time-bound roll out plan of the BPaLM regimen is being prepared by the Central TB Division of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in consultation with States/UTs, which includes rigorous capacity building of health professionals for safe administration of the new regimen, it added.
The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), previously known as Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), aims to strategically reduce TB burden in India by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In September 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that while global efforts to combat TB have saved over 75 million lives since the year 2000, they fell short of reaching the targets, mainly due to severe disruptions to TB services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts.
In 2022, President Droupadi Murmu launched the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA) to urge citizens to work collectively towards TB elimination in spirit of Jan Bhaagidari on a war footing.
The President also launched the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative to ensure additional diagnostic, nutritional, and vocational support to those on TB treatment, and encouraged elected representatives, corporates, NGOs, and individuals to come forward as donors to help the patients complete their journey towards recovery.
