Leprosy is curable with a combination of drugs known as multidrug therapy (MDT), as the treatment of leprosy with only one anti-leprosy drug (monotherapy) will result in development of drug resistance to that drug.

Access to treatment

MDT, first recommended by WHO study group on chemotherapy of leprosy for control programmes 1982, rapidly became the standard treatment of leprosy and has been supplied by WHO free of charge to all endemic countries since 1995.

WHO works closely with donors and manufacturers to plan the manufacture, procurement and shipment of the MDT drugs having the maximum available shelf life, at the time most appropriate for each national programme. WHO also arranges independent laboratory testing of the drugs at the manufacturer's own expense in order to ensure that the finished WHO product is the best available for national programmes. Such testing is considered essential to maintain the confidence of national programmes in the donated product.

In order to meet emergency requests for MDT, WHO maintains at the donor's expense, substantial buffer stocks at the manufacturing plant. Currently these buffer stocks are equivalent to around 40% of global annual requirements but vary depending on perceived need. To ensure a rapid response to requests for smaller emergency supplies, WHO maintains additional buffer stocks at its headquarters in Geneva and Regional Office in Manila. Response times from WHO Geneva are typically 48 hours and most dispatches are made via courier.