The Shorter Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) Treatment

- Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) represents a public health crisis and a global health security risk, carrying grave consequences for those affected.
- In 2015, there were an estimated 480 000 new cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and an additional 100 000 people with rifampicin-resistant TB who were also newly eligible for MDR-TB treatment.
- MDR-TB and rifampicin resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) cannot be treated with the standard 6-month course of first-line medication which is effective in most TB patients. Patients with MDR/RR-TB are treated with a different combination of second-line drugs, usually for 18 months or more.