Initial experience of bedaquiline use in a series of drug-resistant tuberculosis patients from India

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a major problem both in India and worldwide. Newer drugs such as TMC-207 (bedaquiline) may have an important role to play in making up an effective drug regimen in such cases. There have been a few reports of bedaquiline use in a non-trial setting from Europe. Our series of five patients is the first series of DR-TB patients from India to receive bedaquiline. All five patients showed striking improvement, with microbiological conversion and an absence of notable adverse effects (e.g., prolonged QTcF), indicating the potential impact of this drug in such a population.