Impact of Prior Tuberculosis Treatment With New/Companion Drugs on Clinical Outcomes in Patients Receiving Concomitant Bedaquiline and Delamanid for Multidrug- and Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: There are scarce data on the clinical outcomes of persons retreated with new/companion anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs for multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB). We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bedaquiline and delamanid containing regimens among patients with and without prior exposure to the new/companion drugs (bedaquiline, delamanid, linezolid, clofazimine, and fluoroquinolones). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients with pulmonary MDR/RR-TB in Georgia who received bedaquiline and delamanid combination as a part of a salvage regimen from November 2017 to December 2020 in a programmatic setting. RESULTS: Among 106 persons with a median age of 39.5 years, 44 (41.5%) were previously treated with new/companion TB drugs. Patients with prior exposure to new/companion drugs had higher rates of baseline resistance compared to those without exposure to new/companion TB drugs (bedaquiline 15.2% vs 1.8%, linezolid 22.2% vs 16.7%). Sputum culture conversion rates among patients exposed and not exposed to new/companion drugs were 65.9% vs 98.0%, respectively (P < .001). Among patients with and without prior new/companion TB drug use, favorable outcome rates were 41.0% and 82.3%, respectively (P < .001). Treatment adherence in 32 (30.2%) patients was ≤80%. Five of 21 patients (23.8%) who had a baseline and repeat susceptibility test had acquired bedaquiline resistance. QTC/F prolongation (>500 ms) was rare (2.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Prior exposure to new/companion TB drugs was associated with poor clinical outcomes and acquired drug resistance. Tailoring the TB regimen to each patient's drug susceptibility test results and burden of disease and enhancing adherence support may improve outcomes.

Loss-of-function mutations in ndh do not confer delamanid, ethionamide, isoniazid, or pretomanid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Results from clinical strains and knockouts of the H37Rv and CDC1551 laboratory strains demonstrated that ndh (Rv1854c) is not a resistance-conferring gene for isoniazid, ethionamide, delamanid, or pretomanid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This difference in the susceptibility to NAD-adduct-forming drugs compared with other mycobacteria may be driven by differences in the absolute intrabacterial NADH concentration.

A Narrative Review of Bedaquiline and Delamanid: New Arsenals Against Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR-) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is a formidable challenge. Treatment of MDR- and XDR-TB using bedaquiline (BDQ) and delamanid (DLM), two newly introduced medications, is steadily increasing. This narrative review aimed to present a concise overview of the existing information regarding BDQ and DLM, and elucidate their antimicrobial characteristics, resistance mechanisms, synergism with other drugs, and side effects. METHODS: To collect the required information about the antimicrobial properties, a search for scientific evidence from the Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases was performed, and all recently published articles up to May 2024 were considered. RESULTS: BDQ had potent antimicrobial effects on various types of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including rapid-growing and slow-growing species, and MDR/XDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The mechanisms of BDQ resistance in M. tuberculosis primarily involve mutations in three genes: atpE, mmpR (Rv0678) and pepQ. BDQ may have synergistic effects when combined with DLM, pyrazinamide, and pretomanid/linezolid. BDQ has a low incidence of side effects. The use of BDQ may prolong the QTc interval. Similarly, DLM showed potent antimicrobial effects on NTM and MDR/XDR M. tuberculosis. The main resistance mechanisms to DLM are induced by mutations in fbiA, fbiB, fbiC, fgd1, and ddn genes. The DLM had synergistic effects with BDQ and moxifloxacin. The DLM also has few side effects in some patients including QTc prolongation. CONCLUSION: BDQ and DLM are suitable antibiotics with few side effects for the treatment of MDR/XDR-TB. These antibiotics have synergistic effects when combined with other antituberculosis drugs.

Efficacy and Tolerability of Concomitant Use of Bedaquiline and Delamanid for Multidrug- and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The introduction of two novel drugs, bedaquiline and delamanid, has given hope for better and shorter treatments of drug-resistant tuberculosis. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of concomitant bedaquiline and delamanid administration. Pooled estimates of World Health Organization-defined favorable treatment outcome and significant QTc-interval prolongation (QTc ≥500 ms or ≥60 ms increase from baseline) were calculated using a random-effects model. Thirteen studies including a total of 1031 individuals with multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis who received bedaquiline and delamanid were included. The pooled estimate of favorable treatment outcome was 73.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 64.3-81.8%). Sputum culture conversion at 6 months ranged from 61% to 95%. Overall, the pooled proportion of QTc-prolongation was 7.8% (95% CI: 4.1-11.6%) and few cardiac events were reported (0.8%; n = 6/798). Rates of sputum culture conversion and favorable treatment outcome were high in patients treated concomitantly with bedaquiline and delamanid, and the treatment seemed tolerable with low rates of clinically significant cardiac toxicity.

Therapeutic Failure and Acquired Bedaquiline and Delamanid Resistance in Treatment of Drug-Resistant TB.

New classes of antitubercular drugs, diarylquinolines and nitroimidazoles, have been associated with improved outcomes in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, but that success is threatened by emerging drug resistance. We report a case of bedaquiline and delamanid resistance in a 55-year-old woman in South Africa with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis and known HIV.

Impact of Gastric pH Variations on the Release of Amorphous Solid Dispersion Formulations Containing a Weakly Basic Drug and Enteric Polymers.

Enteric polymers are widely used in amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) formulations. The aim of the current study was to explore ASD failure mechanisms across a wide range of pH conditions that mimic in vivo gastric compartment variations where enteric polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) are largely insoluble. Delamanid (DLM), a weakly basic drug used to treat tuberculosis, was selected as the model compound. Both DLM free base and the edisylate salt were formulated with HPMCP, while DLM edisylate ASDs were also prepared with different grades of HPMCAS. Two-stage release testing was conducted with the gastric stage pH varied between pH 1.6 and 5.0, prior to transfer to intestinal conditions of pH 6.5. ASD particles were collected following suspension in the gastric compartment and evaluated using X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Additional samples were also evaluated with polarized light microscopy. In general, ASDs with HPMCP showed improved overall release for all testing conditions, relative to ASDs with HPMCAS. ASDs with the edisylate salt likewise outperformed those with DLM free base. Impaired release for certain formulations at intestinal pH conditions was attributed to surface drug crystallization that initiated during suspension in the gastric compartment where the polymer is insoluble; crystallization appeared more extensive for HPMCAS ASDs. These findings suggest that gastric pH variations should be evaluated for ASD formulations containing weakly basic drugs and enteric polymers.

Relative bioavailability of delamanid 50 mg tablets dispersed in water in healthy adult volunteers.

AIM: Delamanid is a novel drug for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, manufactured as 50-mg solid and 25-mg dispersible tablets. We evaluated the effects of dispersing the 50-mg tablet, focusing on the relative bioavailability. METHODS: Delamanid, 50-mg tablets administered dispersed vs swallowed whole, was investigated in a phase I, four-period, crossover study. Two of three dose strengths of delamanid (25, 50 or 100 mg) were given to healthy adult participants, in both whole and dispersed forms, with a 7-day washout period. Blood samples were collected over 168 h after each dose. Delamanid and its metabolite DM-6705 were analysed with a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay. The pharmacokinetics of both analytes were analysed using nonlinear mixed-effect modelling. Palatability and acceptability were determined using a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty-four participants completed the study. The bioavailability of dispersed tablets was estimated to be 107% of whole tablets, with a 90% confidence interval of 99.7-114%, fulfilling bioequivalence criteria. The two formulations were not significantly different regarding either bioavailability or its variability. Bioavailability increased at lower doses, by 34% (26-42%) at 50 mg and by 74% (64-86%) at 25 mg, relative to 100 mg. The majority of participants (93%) found the dispersed formulation acceptable in palatability across all delamanid doses. CONCLUSIONS: Dispersed 50-mg delamanid tablets have similar bioavailability to tablets swallowed whole in adult volunteers. This can be an option for children and other patients who cannot swallow whole tablets, improving access to treatment.

Solubility Enhancement and Inhalation Delivery of Cyclodextrin-Based Inclusion Complex of Delamanid for Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contiguous airborne disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), primarily affecting the human lungs. The progression of drug-susceptible TB to drug-resistant strains, MDR-TB and XDR-TB, has become a global challenge toward eradicating TB. Conventional TB treatment involves frequent dosing and prolonged treatment regimens predominantly by an oral or invasive route, leading to treatment-related systemic adverse effects and patient's noncompliance. Pulmonary delivery is an attractive option as we could reduce dose, limit systemic side-effects, and achieve rapid onset of action. Delamanid (DLD), an antituberculosis drug, has poor aqueous solubility, and in this study, we aim to improve its solubility using cyclodextrin complexation. We screened different cyclodextrins and found that HP-ß-CD resulted in a 54-fold increase in solubility compared to a 27-fold and 13-fold increase by SBE-ß-CD and HP-É£-CD, respectively. The stability constant (265 ± 15 M-1) and complexation efficiency (8.5 × 10-4) suggest the formation of a stable inclusion complex of DLD and HP-ß-CD in a 2:1 ratio. Solid-state characterization studies (DSC, PXRD, and NMR) further confirmed successful complexation of DLD in HP-ß-CD. The nebulized DLD-CD complex solution showed a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 4.42 ± 0.62 µm and fine particle fraction of 82.28 ± 2.79%, suggesting deposition in the respiratory airways. In bacterial studies, minimum inhibitory concentration of DLD-CD complex was significantly reduced (four-fold) compared to free DLD in M.tb (H37Ra strain). Furthermore, accelerated stability studies confirmed that the inclusion complex was stable for 4 weeks with 90%w/w drug content. In conclusion, we increased the aqueous solubility of DLD through cyclodextrin complexation and improved its efficacy in vitro.

Bedaquiline, Delamanid, Linezolid and Clofazimine for Treatment of Pre-extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Treatment success rates for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain low globally. Availability of newer drugs has given scope to develop regimens that can be patient-friendly, less toxic, with improved outcomes. We proposed to determine the effectiveness of an entirely oral, short-course regimen with Bedaquiline and Delamanid in treating MDR-TB with additional resistance to fluoroquinolones (MDR-TBFQ+) or second-line injectable (MDR-TBSLI+). METHODS: We prospectively determined the effectiveness and safety of combining two new drugs with two repurposed drugs - Bedaquiline, Delamanid, Linezolid, and Clofazimine for 24-36 weeks in adults with pulmonary MDR-TBFQ+ or/and MDR-TBSLI+. The primary outcome was a favorable response at end of treatment, defined as two consecutive negative cultures taken four weeks apart. The unfavorable outcomes included bacteriologic or clinical failure during treatment period. RESULTS: Of the 165 participants enrolled, 158 had MDR-TBFQ+. At the end of treatment, after excluding 12 patients due to baseline drug susceptibility and culture negatives, 139 of 153 patients (91%) had a favorable outcome. Fourteen patients (9%) had unfavorable outcomes: four deaths, seven treatment changes, two bacteriological failures, and one withdrawal. During treatment, 85 patients (52%) developed myelosuppression, 69 (42%) reported peripheral neuropathy, and none had QTc(F) prolongation >500msec. At 48 weeks of follow-up, 131 patients showed sustained treatment success with the resolution of adverse events in the majority. CONCLUSION: After 24-36 weeks of treatment, this regimen resulted in a satisfactory favorable outcome in pulmonary MDR-TB patients with additional drug resistance. Cardiotoxicity was minimal, and myelosuppression, while common, was detected early and treated successfully.

Spontaneous Mutational Patterns and Novel Mutations for Delamanid Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Delamanid (DLM) and pretomanid (PTM) are recent additions to the anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug armamentarium, and they offer more effective options for drug-resistant TB treatment. In particular, DLM is included in Group C, which is recommended for use in longer multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB regimens. Previous studies have shown that resistance to DLM/PTM is caused by mutations in the ddn, fgd1, fbiA, fbiB, fbiC, and fbiD genes, which are related to the F420-dependent bioactivation pathway. Herein, we conduct in vitro selection of DLM-resistant strains using clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates with various drug resistance profiles. The spontaneous resistance frequency of drug-susceptible (DS) MTB (1.14 × 10-6 to 1.04 × 10-4) to DLM was similar to that of H37Rv (8.88 × 10-6 to 9.96 × 10-6) but higher than those of multidrug-resistant MTB (2.03 × 10-7 to 3.18 × 10-6) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) MTB (4.67 × 10-8 to 3.60 × 10-6). Of the 100 independently selected DLM-resistant MTB mutants, 65% harbored mutations in genes associated with either DLM prodrug activation (ddn, 39.73%; fgd1, 16.44%) or the F420 biosynthetic pathway (fbiA, 16.44%; fbiB, 5.48%; fbiC, 21.92%). Of the 45 mutations we identified, 38 were not previously reported. A structure analysis revealed that several point mutations affected the ligand binding or structural stability of enzymes related to DLM resistance, which would block the enzyme activity required for prodrug activation. Our results elucidate the in vitro spontaneous DLM-resistance patterns of different clinical strains, which could improve the understanding of the causes of DLM resistance in clinical strains and of the effects on drug resistance of different mutations in genes that are related to the DLM activation pathway.

The ddn Trp20Stop Mutation and Its Association with Lineage 4.5 and Resistance to Delamanid and Pretomanid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

High-confidence resistance mutations for new and repurposed anti-TB drugs, such as delamanid (DLM) and pretomanid (Pa), are rare and more data are needed in order to correctly interpret the results generated by genotypic drug susceptibility testing. In this study performed on clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates, we report that in the Swedish strain collection the ddn mutation Trp20Stop is found exclusively among DLM and Pa resistant (Pa MIC >16 mg/L) isolates assigned to lineage 4.5.

Delamanid Added to an Optimized Background Regimen in Children with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Results of a Phase I/II Clinical Trial.

Delamanid has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for treatment of adult multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and has been approved by the European Commission for treatment of pediatric MDR-TB patients at least 10 kg in weight, making the drug no longer limited to adults. A 10-day phase I age deescalation study was conducted, followed by a 6-month phase II extension study, to assess the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of delamanid when combined with optimized background regimen (OBR) in children (birth to 17 years) with MDR-TB. Delamanid administered at 100 mg twice-daily (BID), 50 mg BID, and 25 mg BID resulted in exposures in 12- to 17- (n = 7), 6- to 11- (n = 6), and 3- to 5-year-olds (n = 12), respectively, comparable with those in adults at the approved adult dosage (100 mg BID). Exposures in 0- to 2-year-olds (n = 12) following a weight-based dosing regimen (5 mg once daily [QD] to 10 mg BID) were lower than predicted from pharmacokinetic modeling of the older three age groups and below target exposures in adults. Overall, the safety profile of delamanid in children 0 to 17 years of age was similar to the adult profile. At 24 months after the first delamanid dose, 33/37 children (89.2%) had favorable treatment outcomes, as defined by the World Health Organization (15/37 [40.5%] cured and 18/37 [48.6%] completed treatment). A new pediatric delamanid formulation used in 0- to 2-year-olds and 3- to 5-year-olds was palatable per child/parent and nurse/investigator reports. Data from initial phase I/II studies inform our understanding of delamanid use in children and support its further assessment in the setting of pediatric MDR-TB. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifiers NCT01856634 [phase I trial] and NCT01859923 [phase II trial].).

Novel Regimens of Bedaquiline-Pyrazinamide Combined with Moxifloxacin, Rifabutin, Delamanid and/or OPC-167832 in Murine Tuberculosis Models.

A recent landmark trial showed a 4-month regimen of rifapentine, pyrazinamide, moxifloxacin, and isoniazid (PZMH) to be noninferior to the 6-month standard of care. Here, two murine models of tuberculosis were used to test whether novel regimens replacing rifapentine and isoniazid with bedaquiline and another drug would maintain or increase the sterilizing activity of the regimen. In BALB/c mice, replacing rifapentine in the PZM backbone with bedaquiline (i.e., BZM) significantly reduced both lung CFU counts after 1 month and the proportion of mice relapsing within 3 months after completing 1.5 months of treatment. The addition of rifabutin to BZM (BZMRb) further increased the sterilizing activity. In the C3HeB/FeJ mouse model characterized by caseating lung lesions, treatment with BZMRb resulted in significantly fewer relapses than PZMH after 2 months of treatment. A regimen combining the new DprE1 inhibitor OPC-167832 and delamanid (BZOD) also had superior bactericidal and sterilizing activity compared to PZM in BALB/c mice and was similar in efficacy to PZMH in C3HeB/FeJ mice. Thus, BZM represents a promising backbone for treatment-shortening regimens. Given the prohibitive drug-drug interactions between bedaquiline and rifampin or rifapentine, the BZMRb regimen represents the best opportunity to combine, in one regimen, the treatment-shortening potential of the rifamycin class with that of BZM and deserves high priority for evaluation in clinical trials. Other 4-drug BZM-based regimens and BZOD represent promising opportunities for extending the spectrum of treatment-shortening regimens to rifamycin- and fluoroquinolone-resistant tuberculosis.

Population Pharmacokinetic and Concentration-QTc Analysis of Delamanid in Pediatric Participants with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

A population pharmacokinetic analysis of delamanid and its major metabolite DM-6705 was conducted to characterize the pharmacokinetics of delamanid and DM-6705 in pediatric participants with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Data from participants between the ages of 0.67 and 17 years, enrolled in 2 clinical trials, were utilized for the analysis. The final data set contained 634 delamanid and 706 DM-6705 valid plasma concentrations from 37 children. A transit model with three compartments best described the absorption of delamanid. Two-compartment models for each component with linear elimination were selected to characterize the dispositions of delamanid and DM-6705, respectively. The covariates included in the model were body weight on the apparent volume of distribution and apparent clearance (for both delamanid and DM-6705); formulation (dispersible versus film-coated tablet) on the mean absorption time; age, formulation, and dose on the bioavailability of delamanid; and age on the fraction of delamanid metabolized to DM-6705. Based on the simulations, doses for participants within different age/weight groups that result in delamanid exposure comparable to that in adults following the approved adult dose were calculated. By concentration-QTc (QTcB [QT corrected by Bazett's formula]) analysis, a significant positive correlation was detected with concentrations of DM-6705. However, the model-predicted upper bounds of the 90% confidence intervals of ΔQTc values were <10 ms at the simulated maximum concentration (Cmax) of DM-6705 following the administration of the maximum doses simulated. This suggests that the effect on the QT interval following the proposed dosing is unlikely to be clinically meaningful in children with MDR-TB who receive delamanid.

Discovery and preclinical evaluations of JBD0131, a novel nitrodihydro-imidazooxazole anti-tuberculosis agent.

Multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major health problem worldwide. The treatment for MDR-TB requires medications for a long duration (up to 20-24 months) with second-line drugs resulting in unfavorable outcomes. Nitroimidazoles are promising antimycobacterial agents known to inhibit both aerobic and anaerobic mycobacterial activity. Delamanid and pretomanid are two nitroimidazoles approved by the regulatory agencies for MDR-TB treatment. However, both agents possess unsatisfactory absorption and QTc prolongation. In our search for a safer nitroimidazole, we discovered JBD0131 (2). It exhibited excellent anti-mycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv in vitro and in vivo, improved PK and absorption, reduced QT prolongation potential of delamanid. JBD0131 is currently in clinical development in China for pulmonary tuberculosis (CTR20202308).

Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis With Simultaneously Acquired Drug Resistance to Bedaquiline and Delamanid.

This study is the first to report a clinical case of simultaneously acquired resistance to bedaquiline (BDQ) and delamanid (DLM). Whole genome sequencing revealed 2 nucleotide insertions (Rv0678 and fbiC) in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for BDQ and DLM were 0.25 µg/mL and >2.0 µg/mL, respectively.

Prediction of Human Pharmacokinetic Profiles of the Antituberculosis Drug Delamanid from Nonclinical Data: Potential Therapeutic Value against Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis.

Delamanid has been studied extensively and approved for the treatment of pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; however, its potential in the treatment of extrapulmonary tuberculosis remains unknown. We previously reported that, in rats, delamanid was broadly distributed to various tissues in addition to the lungs. In this study, we simulated human plasma concentration-time courses (pharmacokinetic profile) of delamanid, which has a unique property of metabolism by albumin, using two different approaches (steady-state concentration of plasma-mean residence time [Css-MRT] and physiologically based pharmacokinetic [PBPK] modeling). In Css-MRT, allometric scaling predicted the distribution volume at steady state based on data from mice, rats, and dogs. Total clearance was predicted by in vitro-in vivo extrapolation using a scaled albumin amount. A simulated human pharmacokinetic profile using a combination of human-predicted Css and MRT was almost identical to the observed profile after single oral administration, which suggests that the pharmacokinetic profile of delamanid could be predicted by allometric scaling from these animals and metabolic capacity in vitro. The PBPK model was constructed on the assumption that delamanid was metabolized by albumin in circulating plasma and tissues, to which the simulated pharmacokinetic profile was consistent. Moreover, the PBPK modeling approach demonstrated that the simulated concentrations of delamanid at steady state in the lung, brain, liver, and heart were higher than the in vivo effective concentration for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These results indicate that delamanid may achieve similar concentrations in various organs to that of the lung and may have the potential to treat extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

An overview of new antitubercular drugs, drug candidates, and their targets.

The causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis and more recently totally drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis, display unique mechanisms to survive in the host. A four-drug treatment regimen was introduced 40 years ago but the emergence of multidrug-resistance and more recently TDR necessitates the identification of new targets and drugs for the cure of M. tuberculosis infection. The current efforts in the drug development process are insufficient to completely eradicate the TB epidemic. For almost five decades the TB drug development process remained stagnant. The last 10 years have made sudden progress giving some new and highly promising drugs including bedaquiline, delamanid, and pretomanid. Many of the candidates are repurposed compounds, which were developed to treat other infections but later, exhibited anti-TB properties also. Each class of drug has a specific target and a definite mode of action. These targets are either involved in cell wall biosynthesis, protein synthesis, DNA/RNA synthesis, or metabolism. This review discusses recent progress in the discovery of newly developed and Food and Drug Administration approved drugs as well as repurposed drugs, their targets, mode of action, drug-target interactions, and their structure-activity relationship.

Clinical Outcomes Among Patients With Drug-resistant Tuberculosis Receiving Bedaquiline- or Delamanid-Containing Regimens.

BACKGROUND: Bedaquiline and delamanid are newly available drugs for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB); however, there are limited data guiding their use and no comparison studies. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, observational study among patients with MDR-TB in Georgia who were receiving a bedaquiline- or delamanid-based treatment regimen. Monthly sputum cultures, minimal inhibitory concentration testing, and adverse event monitoring were performed. Primary outcomes were culture conversion rates and clinical outcomes. Targeted maximum likelihood estimation and super learning were utilized to produce a covariate-adjusted proportion of outcomes for each regimen. RESULTS: Among 156 patients with MDR-TB, 100 were enrolled and 95 were receiving a bedaquiline-based (n = 64) or delamanid-based (n = 31) regimen. Most were male (82%) and the median age was 38 years. Rates of previous treatment (56%) and cavitary disease (61%) were high. The most common companion drugs included linezolid, clofazimine, cycloserine, and a fluoroquinolone. The median numbers of effective drugs received among patients on bedaquiline-based (4; interquartile range [IQR], 4-4) and delamanid-based (4; IQR, 3.5-5) regimens were similar. Rates of acquired drug resistance were significantly higher among patients receiving delamanid versus bedaquiline (36% vs 10%, respectively; P < .01). Adjusted rates of sputum culture conversion at 2 months (67% vs 47%, respectively; P = .10) and 6 months (95% vs 74%, respectively; P < .01), as well as more favorable clinical outcomes (96% vs 72%, respectively; P < .01), were higher among patients receiving bedaquiline versus delamanid. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with MDR-TB, bedaquiline-based regimens were associated with higher rates of sputum culture conversion, more favorable outcomes, and a lower rate of acquired drug resistance versus delamanid-based regimens.

Culture Conversion at 6 Months in Patients Receiving Delamanid-containing Regimens for the Treatment of Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis.

Delamanid should be effective against highly resistant strains of Mycobacteriumtuberculosis, but uptake has been slow globally. In the endTB (expand new drug markets for TB) Observational Study, which enrolled a large, heterogeneous cohorts of patients receiving delamanid as part of a multidrug regimen, 80% of participants experienced sputum culture conversion within 6 months. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02754765.