Health nod for new TB drug in SA

THE second new drug for tuberculosis in 50 years has been made available in South Africa.

TB is the biggest killer of people in South Africa‚ although the underlying cause of infections in 75% of TB patients is untreated HIV.

Around 450 000 people contract TB every year in South Africa.

About 20 000 people get multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) every year. The cure rate for MDRTB in SA is at its highest ever at 50%. But this still means one in two patients will die.

Now a new drug will hopefully save more lives. Delamanid‚ a Japanesedeveloped drug‚ has fewer side-effects and is more effective than current medications. Otsuka Pharmaceutical developed the drug for neglected populations.

Since TB is primarily a disease of the poor‚ there has been a shortage of investment in new drugs for the disease‚ which kills 1.5 million people globally each year.

Delamanid has been made available to the Department of Health to be used in 400 patients for free. Its actual cost is R40 000 per patient.

Otsuka company executives handed the drug to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi yesterday morning at a ceremony at Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital in Johannesburg.

Motsoaledi said he had asked the Japanese health minister for the donation in 2015 and is delighted it has been made.

Current MDR-TB drugs are 50 years old and have terrible side-effects‚ including deafness.

Local research has shown the two-year treatment course‚ which includes 14 months of daily injections‚ can be shortened to nine months.

Delaminid works well in HIV-positive patients and is fine for diabetics. — TMG