South Africa's clinical study, BEAT Tuberculosis,  that began in a research unit in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, has transformed global treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. The primary aim of BEAT Tuberculosis was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel, shortened treatment regimen for DR-TB compared with the established standard of care. Last week, the study's findings were in the New England Journal of Medicine the highest-ranked medical journal in the world. The publication recognises that this research study has set the global standard for TB care. For more we Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Dr Francesca Conradie, principal investigator of BEAT Tuberculosis and a researcher at the Clinical Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand