ethionamide and sparfloxacin

Department of tuberculosis and chest diseases of a tertiary referral tuberculosis institute in New Delhi, India.. To study the efficacy and safety of sparfloxacin, in combination with kanamycin (for the initial 3-4 months) and ethionamide, in multidrug-resistant (MDR) pulmonary tuberculosis patients.. Prospective, uncontrolled study of nine patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who had received adequate anti-tuberculosis treatment with first-line drugs, including supervised category II treatment regimen as per World Health Organization guidelines for 5 months, and were still sputum smear acid-fast bacilli positive. It was planned to give them kanamycin (initial 3-4 months), ethionamide and sparfloxacin for 2 years.. All nine patients achieved sputum conversion within 6 months. Seven patients converted within 3.5 months, two of these within 1 month. All patients reported improvement in clinical symptoms, and chest X-ray improved in seven patients. Four patients developed mild to moderate phototoxicity. Eight patients have completed treatment for an average of 19 months (range 15-24 months), and are still under follow-up. One patient defaulted after 7 months of treatment.. In MDR-TB patients, sparfloxacin, along with other anti-tuberculosis drugs, appears to be effective and safe. Mild to moderate phototoxicity is common. However, the long-term results, including relapses, are still awaited.

Topics: Adult; Anti-Infective Agents; Antitubercular Agents; Culture Media; Dermatitis, Phototoxic; Drug Therapy, Combination; Ethionamide; Fluoroquinolones; Humans; Kanamycin; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Prospective Studies; Sputum; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary