Could a drug cocktail slash deaths from TB of the brain?

NCT ID NCT04145258

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: ANRS, Emerging Infectious Diseases Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This Phase III trial in sub-Saharan Africa tests whether giving higher doses of rifampicin plus linezolid, along with aspirin, can reduce deaths from tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative people. About 768 adolescents and adults will receive either the intensified treatment or standard WHO therapy, with or without aspirin. The goal is to see if these additions improve survival over the current standard care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: high-dose rifampicin, linezolid, and aspirin
What this could lead to: If successful, this could lead to a new standard treatment that lowers the death rate from tuberculous meningitis, a severe brain infection.
What could go wrong: This is a large Phase III trial, but the intensified drugs may cause more side effects, and the benefit over standard care is not yet proven.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

meningeal tuberculosis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

TUBERCULOUS MENINGITIS

Contacts and locations

Locations

Cocody University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Dora Nginza Hospital
RECRUITING

Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Kayelitsha District Hospital
RECRUITING

Cape Town, South Africa
Livingstone and PE Central Hospitals
RECRUITING

Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Mbarara Regional Reference Hospital
RECRUITING

Mbarara, Uganda
Mitchells Plain Hospital
RECRUITING

Cape Town, South Africa
Morafeno University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Toamasina, Madagascar
New Somerset Hospital
RECRUITING

Cape Town, South Africa
Regional Reference Hospital of Kabale
RECRUITING

Mbarara, Uganda
Treichville University Hospital
RECRUITING

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
University Hospital Joseph Raseta Befelatanana
RECRUITING

Antananarivo, Madagascar
University Hospital Tambohobe
RECRUITING

Fianarantsoa, Madagascar
Yopougon University Hospital
NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

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