Successful ‘9-month Bangladesh regimen’ for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among over 500 consecutive patients

SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) program, Damien Foundation Projects, Bangladesh. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the outcome and its determinants of the first treatment for multidrug-resistant TB using a standardized regimen consisting of a minimum 9 months. DESIGN: This was a prospective, observational study of a gatifloxacin (GFX) based directly observed regimen, mainly with initial hospitalization. The 4-month intensive phase was extended until sputum smear conversion. Patients were monitored using culture for up to 2 years after treatment completion. RESULTS: Of the 515 patients who met the study inclusion criteria and were successively enrolled from 2005 to 2011, 84.4% had a bacteriologically favorable outcome. Due to extensive disease with delayed sputum conversion, only half of the patients completed treatment within 9 months; however, 95%…