Decentralized, Integrated Treatment of RR/MDR-TB and HIV Using a Bedaquiline-Based, Short-Course Regimen Is Effective and Associated With Improved HIV Disease Control.

Background: In decentralized sites, with fewer resources and a high prevalence of advanced HIV, the effectiveness of the new short-course, bedaquiline-based regimen for rifampicin-resistant and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (RR/MDR-TB) is not well-described.

Setting: Adults with pulmonary RR/MDR-TB initiating the short-course regimen in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were prospectively enrolled at a decentralized program that integrated person-centered TB care.

Methods: In addition to standard of care monitoring, study visits occurred at enrollment and months 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9.