A new all-oral treatment regimen for patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis has commenced in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Implemented by the National Tuberculosis Program in Papua New Guinea, with support from Burnet Institute, the TB Alliance, the Australian Government, and the World Health Organization (WHO), the new regimen slashes treatment duration by two thirds, bringing total treatment time down to six months and increasing success rates.
BPaL/M treatment is an oral regimen that consists of the TB drugs bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid, with or without moxifloxacin, and is recommended by the WHO.
Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a major threat in the region, with an estimated 2,400 cases annually in PNG alone.
Burnet Deputy Country Director Dr Shahidul Islam said it was a breakthrough to be able to offer this treatment to patients.
"It is the best treatment currently available for drug-resistant tuberculosis and is endorsed by the World Health Organization," he said.
"This is a huge step forward for these patients and for the health of people in Papua New Guinea more broadly."
National Tuberculosis Program Manager Dr Herolyn Nindil said the new treatment would help address the high rates of drug-resistant TB in the country.
"It is an incredible milestone to now be offering this new treatment regimen in Port Moresby and Daru," she said.
"I look forward to seeing more patients offered this treatment as the program starts to expand into other provinces like Morobe. This new regimen will benefit patients by reducing the duration of treatment and has the potential to reduce the hospital costs associated with the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis by up to 60%," she said.
Dr Evangeline Madike from Daru General Hospital said the treatment was an enormous improvement in patient care.
"Being able to treat patients in shorter timeframes allows us to take on more patients, which reduces the number of people living with, and transmitting, tuberculosis," she said.
"The new treatment regimen also has a much higher success rate, which we hope will help reduce the incidence of TB."
Maduwa Geawi was one of the first patients to receive the treatment in Daru.
"I had no symptoms and didn't realise I had tuberculosis," he said.
"It was only through a routine screening that the tuberculosis was picked up.
"I am happy that I will only need to take this treatment for 6 months, rather than 18 months."
The introduction of BPaL/M in Papua New Guinea, follows successful implementation of the treatment in various other countries in the region and worldwide.
Burnet is funded through the Australian Government's Product Development and Access Partnerships program, as a sub-recipient of TB Alliance to support the National TB Program implement the new drug regimes in PNG. Burnet is rolling out the new treatment in Daru as part of the Reducing the Impact of Drug-Resistant TB (RID-TB) program, an Australian Government initiative.
