Stories of healing: BPAL brings hope for
drug-resistant TB patients

“BPaL ang nagbigay pag-asa sa akin para huwag sumuko at lumaban sa sakit na TB.”(BPaL gave me the hope of not giving up the fight against my illness)  – PDD (Sorsogon Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Services Cooperative)

“Maganda yung epekto sakin ng gamutan, maganda lang sakin walang gaanong side effect.”  (The drugs have been effective on me and the good thing is I did not experience many side effects) – JLF (Ilocos Training and Research Medical Center)

 “I truly appreciate the help of Lung Center of the Philippines to cure my MDR-TB with all my medicines and laboratories for free, The staff are very kind and very helpful in every way possible, I can reach out to them even outside of their shift. The medicine may have side effects but tolerable compared to others. Thank you very much for your assistance, especially to Doc. Joan, ma'am Joan and Sir Alfred. Please continue to help and treat more people.” – MPC (Lung Center of the Philippines)

 “Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. Akala ko po noon mamamatay na ako”(Thank you so much to everyone.  I thought then that I would die. -LDC (Jose B Lingad Memorial General Medical Center)

 “BPaL has changed the way my treatment has become and all for the better. It did not only minimize my drug intake but reduced the nauseating feeling of drinking medicine altogether.  Since BPaL, my TB treatment has been very manageable. BPaL is a game changer and also my life changer.” – NMM (Batangas Medical Center)

 ”Bakit pili lang kami sa BPaL, kung BPal na lang lahat para di na sila mahihirapan?” (“Why are there only a few of us who were put on BPaL? Why not give it to all patients so that they won’t have to suffer.) –  (BPaL Patient in Southern Philippines Medical Centert)

These are just a few of the stories shared by BPaL patients across the country as they express their heartfelt and boundless gratitude for the BPaL regimen and the dedicated team of healthcare workers who helped them traverse the road towards cure and recovery.

Prior to BPaL, Drug-resistant TB (DRTB) management was confined to longer and painful regimens with a high risk of developing disabling side effects. Operationalized in May 2021, the BPaL OR was aimed at proving the effectiveness and safety of the novel, all-oral, short-course regimen that is BPaL (Bedaquiline-Pretomanid-Linezolid), following WHO recommendations.  BPaL offered a better alternative for treatment of DRTB cases as it is shorter, with less pill burden and with manageable side effects. 

To date, 50 patients have finished 6 months of treatment with a high success rate out of 103 that started the regimen. The BPaL OR experience will help the Department of Health more efficiently lead the way towards programmatic expansion of the BPaL regimen offering the hope for cure to more DR-TB patients nationwide.