Preliminary results from Stage 1 of the STREAM randomised clinical trial, released at the 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Guadalajara, Mexico, showed that the nine-month treatment regimen achieved favourable outcomes in almost 80 percent of those treated.
The results suggest the nine-month regimen is very close to the effectiveness of the 20–24 month regimen recommended in the 2011 WHO guidelines, when both regimens are given under trial conditions.
Stage 2 of the STREAM trial is testing additional shortened regimens for MDR-TB, including a nine-month, all-oral treatment that eliminates the painful injections that can cause severe side effects.
The STREAM trial is the result of a unique collaboration between The Union, Vital Strategies and several key partners with funding from USAID and Janssen Research & Development.