IMPACT - 1

This study is evaluating alternative strategies for active case finding to identify individuals with undiagnosed tuberculosis in Nepal and Vietnam. Please find out more about the study here.

HE: Jason Madan Funder: USAID

MEMVIE

Infectious Disease Dynamic Modelling in Health Protection

The primary aim of this proposal is to provide a programme of dynamic and health economic modelling that will underpin opinions and advice on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions against infectious diseases in the UK. The opinions and advice are intended for comparison with dynamic disease and health economic modelling undertaken by other groups, including Health Protection England. The precise infections and scenarios considered will be driven by DH policy teams through HPAT SS is providing input on patient and public involvement in this study. Please find out more about the study on the these pages.

HE: Stavros Petrou, Tinevimbo Shiri PI: Matt Keeling

STREAM

Shortened Treatment Regimens for MDR-TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common, infectious, bacterial disease that is spread when an infected person transmits their saliva through the air by coughing or sneezing. Despite the availability and effectiveness of affordable six-month treatments for tuberculosis (TB), the worldwide control of this disease is currently being impacted by the emergence of multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB).

MDR-TB refers to TB that is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin. These are the two most powerful first-line drugs used to treat pulmonary TB. MDR-TB usually develops while a person is taking TB treatment due to either inappropriate treatment or failure of patients to complete their treatment. This strain of drug-resistant bacteria can also be spread to other people through the air. MDR-TB is much more difficult to treat than TB strains that are sensitive to the commonly used drugs.

Currently the standard treatments for MDR-TB can last as long as 24 months with a success rate of no more than 50%. With an approximately 500,000 new cases every year there is an urgent need to develop shorter and more effective treatments. A newly-developed 9-month treatment is being tested in this study based on a high dose flouroquinolone and clofazimine. The aim of this investigation is to show that this shorter treatment, which has had good results in a cohort of over 500 patients in Bangladesh but has not been evaluated in a randomised trial, is at least as effective as the lengthier treatments recommended by the World Health Organisation. A second stage of the STREAM trial started in early 2016.

Please visit the website of the study here.

HE: Jason Madan PI: Andrew Nunn (MRC CTU) Funder: USAID