On Monday 31 of March, 2025, the ASCENT DR-TB Consortium Partner Treatment Action Group (TAG) launched the update of community materials on drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and a brand new activists’ guide to shorter treatment for DR-TB.
When introducing these new developments in their website, TAG provides the context of DR-TB treatment regimens and guidelines, and mentions that “These alternative regimens now endorsed by the WHO are especially important for enabling children, younger adolescents, pregnant women and persons, and other populations that are otherwise excluded from access to the six-month BPaL(M) regimen to benefit from shorter treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB.”
TAG Community Resources 2025
The materials include the 2025 update to An Activist’s Guide to Shorter Treatment for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis and three supplementary patient facing materials to support community-based and civil society organizations leading treatment literacy, peer support, and community-led monitoring activities:
- “Options for Treating Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Which Regimen is Right for Me?” compares key attributes, risks and benefits, and considerations related to the preferences and needs of the person undergoing treatment that should be discussed when determining which regimen to use.
- “Side Effects and Clinical and Laboratory-Based Monitoring of Treatment for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: What to Expect” walks through lab tests and clinical exams that people should expect to receive prior to treatment initiation, at regular intervals during treatment, and in response to specific problems or concerns.
- “Talking with People About Your Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis” is written to help people recently diagnosed with drug-resistant TB think about how to approach disclosing and discussing their diagnosis with family and other close contacts.
Additionally, earlier this year TAG also published a TB Treatment Regimen Cheat Sheet, which is designed to help advocates navigate the range of tools in use and in the research pipeline. This provides a snapshot of information on the duration, indicated population, composition, and price of WHO-recommended regimens, and drug-drug interactions with antiretrovirals to be aware of.
You can download the 2025 Activist’s Guide to Shorter Treatment for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis HERE.