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The Frequency and Incidence of QT Prolongation with Extended Use of Bedaquiline or Delamanid in a Large, Multi-Country MDR/RR-TB Cohort.

Khan U Rich M Franke M Lachenal N Ahmed S Bekele A Isani AK Hewison C Sari CYI Tan CL Varaine F Flores EH Putri FA Faqirzai J Beauchamp J Vo LNQ Siddiqui MR Seung K Bastard M Nkunkanyirazo P Kiria N Khan M Algozhin Y Melikyan N Saki NA Vilbrun SC Fatima R Naing YY Islam S Mamsa S Mitnick C Huerga H Khan PY
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2024 Dec 10; . doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae601. Epub 2024 12 10
Bedaquiline Delamanid Extended use QT prolongation adverse events

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The 2022 WHO guidelines on multi-drug/rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) recommend six months of bedaquiline (Bdq) in the all-oral 9-month shorter regimen and six months or longer for Bdq and delamanid (Dlm) in the 18-20-month longer regimen. However, lack of evidence on extended treatment using Bdq or Dlm has limited their use to six months. We examine the frequency and incidence of QT prolongation based on duration of Bdq and/or Dlm use in longer regimens.

METHODS: We analyzed a prospective cohort of MDR/RR-TB patients from 16 countries who initiated treatment with Bdq and/or Dlm containing regimens from 1 April 2015-30 September 2018. Data were systematically collected using a shared protocol. The outcome of interest was the first clinically relevant prolonged QT interval (grade 3 or above) or a Serious Adverse Event (SAE) involving prolonged QT of any grade.

RESULTS: Among 2,553 patients, 59% received >6 months of Bdq and/or Dlm. Of these, 579 (20.9%) patients experienced a prolonged QT event, the majority (95.5%) being grade 1 or 2. Sixty-four(2.5%) patients experienced the outcome of interest with only 12 (0.5%) having ≥ 1 QT prolonging drugs permanently suspended. The incidence rate of the first prolonged QT event was highest in the first six months of treatment and lower in subsequent six-month periods.

CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that Bdq and/or Dlm use beyond six months is safe in longer MDR/RR-TB regimens with most clinically relevant QT prolongation events occurring in the first six months. ECG monitoring for early identification of QT prolongating events is possible in programmatic conditions.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.

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