XDR TB

Aug. 21, 2019

In a groundbreaking development recently, the United States FDA approved a three-drug regimen against the most lethal form of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, known as the XDR strain.

About:

Full Name: XDR-TB is an abbreviation for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB).
What is it? XDR-TB is a form of TB which is resistant to at least four of the core anti-TB drugs.
- XDR-TB involves resistance to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin, also known as multidrug-resistance (MDR-TB).
- In addition, it involves resistance to any of the fluoroquinolones (such as levofloxacin or moxifloxacin) and to at least one of the three injectable second-line drugs (amikacin, capreomycin or kanamycin).
How do people get XDR-TB? XDR can be contracted in two ways. It may develop in a patient who is already receiving treatment for TB and misuses the anti-TB drugs, or it can be contracted from a person who already has the disease.
Prevalence:
- According to a WHO report, cases of XDR TB are much fewer than those of the MDR/RR TB, and have been reported from 117 countries until 2017.
- Out of 10,800 cases worldwide, India accounted for 2,650 cases, or almost one-fourth.