Under the current circumstances, the rapid rollout of measures that reduce the need for daily encounters between TB patients and healthcare staff has become more critical. These include WHO recommended, all-oral TB treatments for multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant (MDR/RR) TB and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB.
Cambodia is one of the pathfinding countries in implementing operational research on modified shorter all-oral regimens for MDR/RR-TB patients, in line with the latest WHO guidelines and national guidance on drug-resistant TB treatment. These guidelines encourage operational research on modified shorter all-oral regimens for MDR/RR-TB patients and novel regimens for patients with XDR-TB to rapidly develop and adopt more effective and easier to implement treatment options.
TDR, in collaboration with the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme and technical partners, has developed an operational research package (dubbed ShORRT, Short, all-Oral Regimens For Rifampicin-resistant Tuberculosis) to support the implementation of such drug regimens.On 14 April 2020, Cambodia, the first country to adopt and adapt the ShORRT research package, launched the CAM-ShORRT study. Cambodia’s National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control (CENAT) and its partners are progressively training study and frontline clinical staff, one study site at a time, to comply with the safety measures in place in the country to contain the spread of COVID-19. Enrolment of patients will follow soon.
The launch of this project is a testimony to Cambodia’s commitment to ensuring quality care for its TB patients and to ending TB, even in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Data generated from the study in Cambodia will contribute to the global evidence base and inform drug-resistant TB treatment guidance for other countries facing similar challenges.
For additional information, please either contact Dr Corinne Merle or send an email to ShORRT@who.int.