Efficacy and Safety of Combined Bedaquiline and Delamanid Use among Patients with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Beijing, China.

Objectives: The combined use of bedaquiline and delamanid (BDQ-DLM) is limited by an increased risk of prolonging the QTc interval. We retrospectively evaluated patients who received DLM/BDQ-containing regimens at a TB-specialized hospital. We aimed to present clinical efficacy and safety data for Chinese patients.

Methods: This case-control study included patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treated with BDQ alone or BDQ plus DLM.

Results: A total of 96 patients were included in this analysis: 64 in the BDQ group and 32 in the BDQ + DLM group. Among the 96 patients with positive sputum culture at the initiation of BDQ alone or BDQ combined with DLM, 46 patients (71.9%) in the BDQ group and 29 (90.6%) in the BDQ-DLM group achieved sputum culture conversion during treatment. The rate of sputum culture conversion did not differ between the two groups. The time to sputum culture conversion was significantly shorter in the BDQ-DLM group than in the BDQ group. The most frequent adverse event was QTc interval prolongation; however, the frequency of adverse events did not differ between the groups.

Conclusion: In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the combined use of BDQ and DLM is efficacious and tolerable in Chinese patients infected with MDR-TB. Patients in the BDQ-DLM group achieved sputum culture conversion sooner than those in the BDQ group.