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Review
. 2018 Sep 8;392(10150):821-834.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31644-1.

Treatment correlates of successful outcomes in pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: an individual patient data meta-analysis

Collaborative Group for the Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data in MDR-TB treatment–2017Nafees Ahmad  1 Shama D Ahuja  2 Onno W Akkerman  3 Jan-Willem C Alffenaar  4 Laura F Anderson  5 Parvaneh Baghaei  6 Didi Bang  7 Pennan M Barry  8 Mayara L Bastos  9 Digamber Behera  10 Andrea Benedetti  11 Gregory P Bisson  12 Martin J Boeree  13 Maryline Bonnet  14 Sarah K Brode  15 James C M Brust  16 Ying Cai  17 Eric Caumes  18 J Peter Cegielski  19 Rosella Centis  20 Pei-Chun Chan  21 Edward D Chan  22 Kwok-Chiu Chang  23 Macarthur Charles  24 Andra Cirule  25 Margareth Pretti Dalcolmo  26 Lia D'Ambrosio  27 Gerard de Vries  28 Keertan Dheda  29 Aliasgar Esmail  29 Jennifer Flood  8 Gregory J Fox  30 Mathilde Fréchet-Jachym  31 Geisa Fregona  32 Regina Gayoso  26 Medea Gegia  5 Maria Tarcela Gler  33 Sue Gu  34 Lorenzo Guglielmetti  35 Timothy H Holtz  19 Jennifer Hughes  36 Petros Isaakidis  37 Leah Jarlsberg  38 Russell R Kempker  39 Salmaan Keshavjee  40 Faiz Ahmad Khan  11 Maia Kipiani  41 Serena P Koenig  42 Won-Jung Koh  43 Afranio Kritski  44 Liga Kuksa  45 Charlotte L Kvasnovsky  46 Nakwon Kwak  47 Zhiyi Lan  11 Christoph Lange  48 Rafael Laniado-Laborín  49 Myungsun Lee  50 Vaira Leimane  25 Chi-Chiu Leung  23 Eric Chung-Ching Leung  23 Pei Zhi Li  11 Phil Lowenthal  8 Ethel L Maciel  32 Suzanne M Marks  51 Sundari Mase  52 Lawrence Mbuagbaw  53 Giovanni B Migliori  20 Vladimir Milanov  54 Ann C Miller  55 Carole D Mitnick  55 Chawangwa Modongo  56 Erika Mohr  36 Ignacio Monedero  57 Payam Nahid  38 Norbert Ndjeka  58 Max R O'Donnell  59 Nesri Padayatchi  60 Domingo Palmero  61 Jean William Pape  62 Laura J Podewils  19 Ian Reynolds  34 Vija Riekstina  25 Jérôme Robert  63 Maria Rodriguez  64 Barbara Seaworth  65 Kwonjune J Seung  66 Kathryn Schnippel  67 Tae Sun Shim  68 Rupak Singla  69 Sarah E Smith  19 Giovanni Sotgiu  70 Ganzaya Sukhbaatar  71 Payam Tabarsi  6 Simon Tiberi  72 Anete Trajman  73 Lisa Trieu  2 Zarir F Udwadia  74 Tjip S van der Werf  75 Nicolas Veziris  63 Piret Viiklepp  76 Stalz Charles Vilbrun  77 Kathleen Walsh  77 Janice Westenhouse  8 Wing-Wai Yew  78 Jae-Joon Yim  47 Nicola M Zetola  56 Matteo Zignol  5 Dick Menzies  79
Affiliations
Review

Treatment correlates of successful outcomes in pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: an individual patient data meta-analysis

Collaborative Group for the Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data in MDR-TB treatment–2017 et al. Lancet. .

Abstract

Background: Treatment outcomes for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remain poor. We aimed to estimate the association of treatment success and death with the use of individual drugs, and the optimal number and duration of treatment with those drugs in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Methods: In this individual patient data meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify potentially eligible observational and experimental studies published between Jan 1, 2009, and April 30, 2016. We also searched reference lists from all systematic reviews of treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis published since 2009. To be eligible, studies had to report original results, with end of treatment outcomes (treatment completion [success], failure, or relapse) in cohorts of at least 25 adults (aged >18 years). We used anonymised individual patient data from eligible studies, provided by study investigators, regarding clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. Using propensity score-matched generalised mixed effects logistic, or linear regression, we calculated adjusted odds ratios and adjusted risk differences for success or death during treatment, for specific drugs currently used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, as well as the number of drugs used and treatment duration.

Findings: Of 12 030 patients from 25 countries in 50 studies, 7346 (61%) had treatment success, 1017 (8%) had failure or relapse, and 1729 (14%) died. Compared with failure or relapse, treatment success was positively associated with the use of linezolid (adjusted risk difference 0·15, 95% CI 0·11 to 0·18), levofloxacin (0·15, 0·13 to 0·18), carbapenems (0·14, 0·06 to 0·21), moxifloxacin (0·11, 0·08 to 0·14), bedaquiline (0·10, 0·05 to 0·14), and clofazimine (0·06, 0·01 to 0·10). There was a significant association between reduced mortality and use of linezolid (-0·20, -0·23 to -0·16), levofloxacin (-0·06, -0·09 to -0·04), moxifloxacin (-0·07, -0·10 to -0·04), or bedaquiline (-0·14, -0·19 to -0·10). Compared with regimens without any injectable drug, amikacin provided modest benefits, but kanamycin and capreomycin were associated with worse outcomes. The remaining drugs were associated with slight or no improvements in outcomes. Treatment outcomes were significantly worse for most drugs if they were used despite in-vitro resistance. The optimal number of effective drugs seemed to be five in the initial phase, and four in the continuation phase. In these adjusted analyses, heterogeneity, based on a simulated I2 method, was high for approximately half the estimates for specific drugs, although relatively low for number of drugs and durations analyses.

Interpretation: Although inferences are limited by the observational nature of these data, treatment outcomes were significantly better with use of linezolid, later generation fluoroquinolones, bedaquiline, clofazimine, and carbapenems for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. These findings emphasise the need for trials to ascertain the optimal combination and duration of these drugs for treatment of this condition.

Funding: American Thoracic Society, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Respiratory Society, Infectious Diseases Society of America.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests

All other authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure:
Figure:. Study selection

Comment in

References

    1. WHO. Global tuberculosis report 2017 Geneva: World Health Organization, 2017.
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    1. WHO. WHO treatment guidelines for drug-resistant tuberculosis, 2016 update Geneva: World Health Organization, 2016. - PubMed
    1. Ahuja SD, Ashkin D, Avendano M, et al., and the Collaborative Group for Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data in MDR-TB. Multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treatment regimens and patient outcomes: an individual patient data meta-analysis of 9,153 patients. PLoS Med 2012; 9: e1001300. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Diacon AH, Pym A, Grobusch MP, et al., and the TMC207-C208 Study Group. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and culture conversion with bedaquiline. N Engl J Med 2014; 371: 723–32. - PubMed

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