An extended cost-effectiveness analysis of decentralised TB diagnostic testing with Molbio Truenat MTB/RIF versus hub-and-spoke GeneXpert MTB/RIF in Mozambique and Tanzania.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), tuberculosis (TB) regained its status as the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent in 2023, surpassing COVID-19. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is critical, with decentralised diagnostic strategies offering a promising solution. Although decentralised diagnostic strategies have been proven cost-effective, further evidence is needed on affordability and equity in high-burden settings. This study, part of a multicentre real-world cluster-randomised controlled trial (cRCT), assessed implementation costs and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures across socioeconomic status (SES) groups from a societal perspective.

Methods

The TB-CAPT Core trial compared decentralised point-of-care TB testing using the Molbio Truena

SUBMITTER: Bashir S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12636946 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature