Two interesting plans were rolled out in Mumbai on Monday to reduce the burden of tuberculosis. One is a fixed dose combination of drugs and the other is a slight tweak in the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course.
Stay at home
Patients can now stay at home, take their medicines and inform a health worker instead of travelling to the DOTS centre to take medication in front of a healthcare worker or doctor. Four molecules have been merged into one tablet to form the fixed dose.
Both initiatives are aimed at improving patient compliance in treatment and reduce the increasing burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis. “These changes are extremely patient-friendly. It will work positively in reducing the overall burden of the disease,” said Dr. Daksha Shah, Mumbai’s TB officer.
Dr. Shah said a toll free number has been set up by which patients or their relatives will have to update the daily consumption of medicines. “If they do not do so, our health workers will follow-up on them,” said Dr Shah. The patient will have less number of pills to take under the fixed dose combination as four drug molecules have been combined into one.
“The course is given as per the weight band of a patient. Now, one will have to pop one or two pills instead of six to eight,” Dr. Shah said.
Till now, an intermittent drug regimen was followed in the country with a single dose combination drugs, wherein patients were given the medication thrice a week. However, in the drug regimen rolled out now, patients will have to consume the medicines daily.