The development of MDT changed the face of leprosy dramatically. MDT consists of
three drugs (rifampicin, clofazimine and dapsone), two of which (rifampicin and
clofazimine) were developed in the research laboratories of Novartis in the 1980s.
Multidrug therapy has made it possible to cure patients, interrupt the transmission of
leprosy and prevent disabilities. Even patients with the severest form of the disease
show visible clinical improvement within weeks of starting treatment.