Adherence of Newly Diagnosed Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients to Daily Regimen and Its Effect on Treatment Outcomes: A Follow-up Study

tuberculosis nationwide beginning in October 2017 under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).The daily regimen aims to simplify treatment, reduce pill burden, and improve adherence, thereby enhancing treatment success rates. 2,3hile several studies have evaluated adherence levels following the introduction of the daily regimen, limited IntroductIonTuberculosis (TB) continues to remain a major public health challenge globally, with a disproportionate burden borne by lowand middle-income countries.In 2022, nearly two-thirds of the global TB burden was concentrated in eight countries, with India alone accounting for approximately 27% of all reported cases.Despite the availability of effective treatment, gaps in treatment coverage and suboptimal adherence continue to impede progress toward TB control and elimination goals. 1,2 Poor adherence to antituberculosis treatment is a well-recognized barrier to successful treatment outcomes and TB control.Nonadherence is associated with adverse consequences, including treatment failure, disease relapse, ongoing transmission, and the emergence of drug resistance.Estimates suggest that in resource-limited settings, adherence to TB treatment may be as low as 40%, underscoring the need for sustained programmatic efforts to improve treatment completion rates. 3,4vidence from earlier studies has demonstrated that intermittent or thrice-weekly treatment regimens are associated with higher risks of unfavorable outcomes compared to daily regimens, particularly in patients with drug-sensitive TB.