OREANDA-NEWS. The World Health Organization (WHO)has issued interim guidance for use of Bedaquiline and Delamanid, the new drugs for treatment of adults with Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). These guidelines were issued because these drugs have only been through phase-2b trials and studies for safety and efficacy. The interim guidelines recommend that use of these drugs in the treatment regimen of MDR-TB be made, subject to the following five conditions:

• Proper patient inclusion

• Adherence to the principles of designing a WHO-recommended MDR-TB regimen

• Treatment is closely monitored

• Active pharmacovigilance and proper management of adverse drug reactions and prevention of drug-drug interaction

• Patient informed consent obtained

According to the Annual WHO Global TB Reports, the estimated proportion of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases among new cases in India has been 2.1 percent, 2.2 percent and 2.2 percent in years 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. These proportions are much less than high MDR-TB burden countries.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the RajyaSabha here today.