Drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment

care for drug-resistant TB
The present recommendations for the treatment and care of drug-resistant TB have been derived 
from earlier WHO guideline documents (
Box 1
), and a recent WHO guideline development exercise 
conducted at the end of 2019. The current recommendations supersede the WHO consolidated 
guidelines on drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment that were published in 2019.
9
This module contains policy recommendations on treatment regimens for rifampicin-susceptible, 
isoniazid-resistant TB (Hr-TB) and MDR/RR-TB, including all-oral shorter and longer regimens for 
MDR/RR-TB, monitoring of patients on treatment, the timing of ART in MDR/RR-TB patients infected 
with HIV, the use of surgery for patients receiving MDR-TB treatment, and models of patient support 
and care. The recommendations are presented
below.
1. Regimen for rifampicin-susceptible and isoniazid-resistant 
tuberculosis
1.1 In patients with confirmed rifampicin-susceptible, isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis 
(Hr-TB), treatment with rifampicin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide and levofloxacin is 
recommended for a duration of 6
 
months.
(Conditional recommendation, very low certainty in the estimates of
 
effect)
1.2 In patients with confirmed rifampicin-susceptible, isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis, 
it is not recommended to add streptomycin or other injectable agents to the 
treatment
 
regimen.
(Conditional recommendation, very low certainty in the estimates of
 
effect)
2. Shorter all-oral bedaquiline-containing regimen for 
multidrug- or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis
2.1 A shorter all-oral bedaquiline-containing regimen of 9–12 months duration is