Simplifying TB treatments to improve patients’ lives

Ways to simplify treatments for tuberculosis (TB) to reduce drug resistance and make it easier for patient to complete their course of treatment have been trialled by two international groups involving UCL scientists. The results from both trials, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that novel drug combinations including the antibiotic moxifloxacin in TB treatment plans can approximately halve the number of pills that patients need to take but cannot shorten treatment time. Most TB cases are curable after a six-month treatment regimen, providing patients stick to the treatment plan. Problems can arise if patients do not take their medication regularly, as the disease can recur or develop drug resistance. Standard treatment plans require patients to take a cocktail of drugs every day for six months, which can be challenging and burdensome for patients to keep up with. The researchers found that with a new drug combination including moxifloxacin, taking daily medication for the first two months and then weekly high-dose medication for the last four months was equally effective at curing TB. These results were from the RIFAQUIN phase III trial of 827 new cases of tuberculosis, led by researchers at UCL and St George's, University of London, working with colleagues in Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.