In a recent study, CHDS’ Nicolas Menzies and colleagues used mathematical modelling to quantify the potential health impact and cost-savings for a hypothetical pan-tuberculosis regimen, compared to currently available treatment options. A goal of tuberculosis (TB) drug development has been to develop ‘pan-tuberculosis’ regimens – regimens composed of novel or existing drugs for which there is minimal existing drug resistance. These regimens could be given to all individuals diagnosed with TB, without needing to test for drug resistance.
The researchers found that a pan-tuberculosis regimen could increase the proportion of patients durably cured by treatment from 69–71% to 75–76%, preventing 30–32% of the deaths and 17–20% of the transmission that occurs after initial tuberculosis diagnosis, yielding substantial health improvements and savings. These findings reinforce the incentives for drug development to create a pan-tuberculosis regimen.
Learn more: Read the Lancet article, Projected Health and Economic Effects of a Pan-Tuberculosis Treatment Regimen: A Modelling Study
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