X-Out TB

Multiple drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an increasing problem. Drug resistance occurs as a result of the incomplete or incorrect use of antibiotics in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis. In order to increase compliance with tuberculosis drug regimens and improve outcomes in developing countries, X-Out TB uses SMS technology to keep track of treatment regimens.

X-Out TB provides tuberculosis patients with a monthly supply of urinalysis test strips that are released from a dispenser every 24 hours. The strips have four printed numbers and chemicals that change color when reacting with the urine of a patient who has been taking his or her medication. The patient then sends an SMS with the strip's numbers to a central database, which is monitored by physicians and healthcare workers.

• Design: X-Out TB is a product of the MIT IDEAS Competition in 2007. Jose Gomez-Marquez and Elizabeth Leshen of Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the main contacts for this project.
• Manufacturing: Cambridge, Massachusetts USA

A feasibility trial of X-Out TB took place in Nicaragua and a broader pilot project was launched in liaison with Indus Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

X-Out TB primarily receives donor funding, although it is currently exploring transformation into a private, for-profit entity.

Barclay. E. "Text messages could hasten tuberculosis drug compliance." The Lancet. 373.9657 (2009): 15-6.

Trafton, Anne. "Eradicating TB with…cell phone minutes?" MITnews. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 13 March 2011. Link available here.

"Monitor: Taken your medicine?" The Economist. 2011. 13 March 2011. Link available here.

Levitt, Steven D. "An Ingenious Approach to Drug Compliance." Freakonomics. 1 April 2009. 13 March 2011. Link available here.