New drug cocktail shows promise against Drug-Resistant TB
NCT ID NCT02333799
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested a combination of three drugs—bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid—in 109 people with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) or multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) that didn't respond to other treatments. Participants took the drugs for 6 to 9 months. The goal was to see if the combo could clear the infection and prevent it from coming back. Results from this completed phase 3 trial help show whether this shorter, all-oral regimen is a safe and effective option for tough TB cases.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a combination of three drugs: bedaquiline, pretomanid (PA-824), and linezolid
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a shorter, more effective treatment option for people with highly drug-resistant tuberculosis, potentially replacing longer and more toxic regimens.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed phase 3 trial with 109 participants, so results are more reliable than earlier studies. However, the combination may still cause side effects like nerve damage or bone marrow suppression from linezolid, and it may not work for all TB strains.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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109 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Mar 2015
- Finished
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Aug 2020
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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14 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Key Inclusion Criteria 1. Provide written, informed consent prior to all trial-related procedures (if under 18, include consent of legal guardian). 2. Body weight of ≥35 kg (in light clothing and no shoes). 3. Male or female, aged 14 years or above. 4. Subjects with one of the following pulmonary TB conditions (WHO definitions prior to 2021): a. Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) with i. documented culture positive (for M.tb.) results within 3 months prior to screening or M.tb. confirmed in sputum based on molecular test within 3 months prior to or at screening; ii. documented resistance to isoniazid, rifamycins, a fluoroquinolone and an injectable historically at any time or at screening; b. Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) documented by culture positive results (for M.tb.) within 3 months prior to or at screening with documented non-response to treatment with the best available regimen for 6 months or more prior to enrolment who in the opinion of the Investigator have been adherent to treatment and will be adherent to study regimen; c. MDR-TB documented by culture positive (for M.tb.) results within 3 months prior to or at screening who are unable to continue second line drug regimen due to a documented intolerance to: i. PAS, ethionamide, aminoglycosides or fluoroquinolones; ii. Current treatment not listed above that renders subject eligible for the study in the Investigator's opinion. 6\. Chest X-Ray picture (taken within a year prior to screening) consistent with pulmonary TB in the opinion of the Investigator. Key Exclusion Criteria 1. Karnofsky score \< 50 within 30 days prior to entry. 2. Body Mass index (BMI) \< 17 kg/m² 3. History of allergy or known hypersensitivity to any of the trial Investigational Medicinal Products or related substances. 4. HIV infected Subjects having a CD4+ count ≤ 50 cells/μL 5. Having participated in other clinical studies with dosing of investigational agents within 8 weeks prior to trial start or currently enrolled in an investigational study that includes treatment with medicinal agents. Subjects who are participating in observational studies or who are in a follow up period of a trial that included drug therapy may be considered for inclusion. 6. Significant cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication. 7. Subjects with the following at Screening: 1. QTcF interval on ECG \>500 msec. 2. History of additional risk factors for Torsade de Pointes, (e.g., heart failure, hypokalemia, family history of Long QT Syndrome); 3. Clinically significant ventricular arrhythmias; 4. Subjects with other cardiac abnormalities that may place them at risk of arrhythmias must be discussed with the sponsor medical monitor before enrolment. Such abnormalities include: Evidence of ventricular pre-excitation (e.g., Wolff Parkinson White syndrome); Electrocardiographic evidence of complete or clinically significant incomplete left bundle branch block or right bundle branch block; Evidence of second or third degree heart block; Intraventricular conduction delay with QRS duration more than 120 msec. 8. Females who have a positive pregnancy test at Screening or already known to be pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to conceive a child during the study or within 6 months of cessation of treatment. Males planning to conceive a child during the study or within 6 months of cessation of treatment. 9. A peripheral neuropathy of Grade 3 or 4, according to DMID (Appendix 2). Or, subjects with a Grade 1 or 2 neuropathy which is likely to progress/worsen over the course of the study, in the opinion of the Investigator. 10. Concomitant use of Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) or prior use within 2 weeks of treatment assignment. 11. Subjects with the following toxicities at Screening as defined by the enhanced Division of Microbiology and Infectious Disease (DMID) adult toxicity table (November 2007): a. serum potassium less than the lower limit of normal for the laboratory; b. Hemoglobin level grade 2 or greater (\< 8.0 g/dL); c. Platelets grade 2 or greater(\<75,000/mm3); d. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \< 1000/ mm3; e. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \> 3 x ULN g. Total bilirubin \> or = to 2xULN h. Direct bilirubin \> ULN i. Serum creatinine level greater than 2 times upper limit of normal j. Albumin \<32 g/L
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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King DinuZulu Hospital Complex
Sydenham, Durban, 4001, South Africa
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Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital
Sandringham, Johannesburg, 2131, South Africa
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Task Applied Science - Brooklyn Chest Hospital
Ysterplaat, Cape Town, 7405, South Africa
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Beyond TB: could a deeper diagnostic look uncover hidden lung diseases?
- Can a new patient cohort unlock the secrets of TB treatment success?
- Shorter TB treatment: a 4-Month regimen put to the test