Treatment outcomes of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) treated with bedaquiline under programmatic management of drug resistant tuberculosis at a tertiary care hospital in Punjab, India

Introduction MDR TB is a serious global concern which is hampering TB elimination goals badly. Standardized MDR TB regimen had high default rates, more side effects and poor treatment outcomes. Bedaquiline is a newer anti-tubercular drug which has made oral regimens possible for MDR TB. We aimed to study the outcomes of MDR TB patients treated with Bdq containing regimens. Methods 155 patients of MDR TB on Bdq containing regimen enrolled at GMC, Patiala under NTEP from 2017 to 2020 were enrolled retrospectively. Results Out of 155 patients enrolled, 82 (52.9 %) were cured, 31 (20 %) completed treatment, 18 (11.6 %) defaulted, 22 (14.2 %) died and 2 (0.12 %) failed treatment. Conclusion Bdq is well tolerated with very less side effects and has better outcomes as compared to standard MDR regimens which were followed earlier.