GoKawiilBedaquiline resistance emerges, threatening WHO's six-month TB regimen
The WHO's 2022-recommended six-month TB treatment, which relies on the antibiotic bedaquiline alongside other pills, is showing signs of drug resistance among patients. Researchers warn this could force a return to the older 20-month regimen involving injectable drugs with severe side effects such as hearing loss. TB remains the world's deadliest infectious disease, killing 1.23 million people in 2024.