Treating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis with a 6-Month Oral Regimen

In a South African trial, a 6-month course containing bedaquiline, linezolid, and levofloxacin performed significantly better than a 9–20-month regimen without these drugs.

One third of deaths from tuberculosis (TB) are caused by organisms resistant to rifampicin with or without resistance to isoniazid (multidrug- or rifampin-resistant TB [MDR/RR-TB]). Successful treatment has been reported in only about 57% of patients, in part because the regimens require up to 20 months to complete. Investigators conducted an open-label, randomized trial in South Africa involving 111 adult patients with MDR/RR-TB. They compared standard of care (9–20 months of kanamycin; moxifloxacin; ethionamide, terizidone, or high-dose isoniazid; and clofazimine) to the intervention (6–9 months of an oral regimen containing bedaquiline, linezolid, and levofloxacin, plus two other drugs, including high-dose isoniazid or ethionamide, or te…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Treating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis with a 6-Month Oral Regimen

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Reviewing Author