MDR-TB

STREAM clinical trial results provide vital insight into nine-month treatment regimen for MDR-TB

Prof Andrew Nunn, STREAM co-chief investigator, presenting Stage 1 results at the Union World Conference.

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.

Read more about the STREAM trial here.