Conditions: Tuberculosis
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 170
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Current treatment of tuberculosis (TB) requires patients to take four drugs for 8 weeks and then two drugs for 4 months. New drug regimens that are shorter and effective against drug-resistant TB are needed. This study will evaluate whether using the drug moxifloxacin (MOX) in place of ethambutol (EMB) during the first 8 weeks of treatment will effectively treat TB.

Detailed description:
Approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with Mycoplasma tuberculosis; 7 to 8 million new cases of active TB occur each year. TB is the second most common infectious cause of death worldwide. Appropriate treatment of persons with active TB is very important in limiting the transmission of M. tuberculosis and preventing TB-related mortality. Current therapy requires 6 months of a four-drug regimen of isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), pyrazinamide (PZA), and EMB.

The development of alternative regimens is a priority, and new classes of antituberculosis agents are needed to provide treatment options for patients with drug-resistant disease. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of replacing EMB with MOX in a multi-drug regimen in the initial phase of treatment of smear-positive pulmonary TB in patients with and without HIV infection.

Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive either a MOX-containing drug regimen or the standard EMB-containing drug regimen for 8 weeks. Participants will have study visits weekly during these 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, participants will discontinue MOX, EMB, and PZA and will continue taking INH and RFP for 4 months. Participants will have study visits at Months 4, 6, 12, and 18. Study visits will include a medical interview, physical exam, blood and urine tests, and sputum tests for TB.

Arms:
arm 1: INH 300mg/RIF 600mg/PZA 20mg/kg/MOX 400mg/EMB placebo once daily for 8 weeks arm 2: INH 300mg/RIF 600mg/PZA 20mg/kg/MOX placebo/EMB 15-20mg/kg once daily for 8 weeks

Interventions: intervention 1: Moxifloxacin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 400mg daily for 8 weeks

Protocol document: