How a Pune trial SHINEs light on shorter TB treatment for children

The Shorter Treatment for Minimal Tuberculosis in Children (SHINE) trials was conducted from 2016-18 on around 150 children at B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, and Chennai’s Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Research in TB (NIRT), along with sites in Africa. In total, it covered 1,204 children with non-severe form of TB and who were less than 16 years old.

Last year, based on SHINE research, the WHO strongly recommended shortening the TB treatment duration in non-severe paediatric TB cases from six-four months.

“The results have shown that a treatment regimen of four months for drug-susceptible minimal tuberculosis was as effective as the six-month one and did not have major side effects,” said Dr Aarti Kinikar, Professor and Head, Department of Paediatrics, B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, Pune.