In South Africa, newly approved TB regimen drastically cuts treatment time

TB patients participate in painting activities with a caretaker in the garden of Ward 16, where the drug-resistant tuberculosis patients are housed and treated, on August 5, 2019, at the Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital in Johannesburg. [AFP]

Four years ago, South African fashion designer Innocent Molefe, 38, was diagnosed with tuberculosis. A year ago, it developed into multi-drug resistant strain requiring painful injections and heaps of pills.

Three months after the first round of treatment, he relapsed and started a second round. At the end of it he still wasn't cured.