New Guidelines Have Potential to Transform the TB Treatment Landscape with Six-Month Standard

“The WHO has just delivered excellent news for patients. This is a testament to what can be accomplished through long-term, sustained investments in TB research and development,” said Dr. Mel Spigelman, President and CEO, TB Alliance, which developed pretomanid and first demonstrated the benefits of the BPaL regimen. “We now have a path forward for handling the vast majority of cases of DR-TB with only six months of all oral treatment, with simplified drug regimens that have manageable side effects, and with cure rates on the same order of magnitude as the treatment for drug-sensitive TB.”

Dr Ariel Pablos-Mendez is Professor of Medicine at CUMC, a member of the Division of General Medicine, and is a founding member of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, now known as TB Alliance. Pablos-Mendez says, 'Two decades ago I founded GATB and felt optimistic, but getting FDA approval was a dream come true and with WHO's recommendation for the new regimen it can finally become a reality for many patients." Pablos-Mendez continues to serve on TB Alliance's Board of Directors.

Read the full announcement here: https://www.tballiance.org.za/news/who-guidelines-dr-tb