Shortened antituberculosis treatment regimens are expected to improve patient adherence to treatment, thus favoring better case management and disease control and minimizing the risk of drug resistance.1-3 The first indication that fluoroquinolones had the potential to shorten tuberculosis treatment was from an observational study in India4 in which ethambutol was replaced with ofloxacin. The fourth-generation fluoroquinolones gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin have shown mycobactericidal activity that is better than that of ofloxacin in vitro5 and in vivo,6-9 and these agents have the potential to shorten treatment. Gatifloxacin was chosen for this study on the basis of its bactericidal-activity profile, cost, and generic status. We conducted a phase 3 trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of a 4-month gatifloxacin-containing regimen, as compared with a standard 6-month regimen, for the treatment of rifampin-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis.
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/four-month-gatifloxacin-containing-regimen-treating-tuberculosis
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/corinne-s-merle
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/katherine-fielding
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/omou-bah-sow-et-al
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/new-england-journal-medicine
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/tuberculosis
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/drugs
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/africa
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/research