Clinical and economic aspects of enhanced treatment efficacy of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis

The objective of the study: To evaluate the clinical and economic efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed multiple drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR).Subjects and methods. The number and structure of MDR tuberculosis patients living on the territory of the Republic of Karelia from 2008 to 2017 were studied. The clinical and economic efficacy of treatment of MDR tuberculosis patients was assessed.Results. In 2011-2017, decrease in the number of MDR patients in the Republic of Karelia was mainly due to enhanced treatment efficacy of new MDR tuberculosis cases. The introduction of social support methods (food parsels) and express drug sensitivity testing to rifampicin using the Gene Xpert MTB/RIF was associated with higher treatment efficacy – from 37.2% (2013) to 58% (2014), the lower rate of treatment defaults, and significant decrease in mortality, as well as reduction of costs for curing of one MDR tuberculosis patient from1.68 million rubles in 2012 up to 0.77 million rubles in 2014