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posted by Fnord666 on Monday August 19 2019, @09:22AM   Printer-friendly

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a new antibiotic that, when combined with two existing antibiotics, can tackle the most formidable and deadly forms of tuberculosis. The trio of drugs treats extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), along with cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) that have proven unresponsive to other treatments.

Tuberculosis is the single leading infectious killer in the world, infecting an estimated 10 million people in 2017 and killing 1.6 million of them. XDR-TB and MDR-TB are even more savage forms of the disease, which is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The drug-resistant strains of TB kill an estimated 60% and 40% of their victims, respectively.

[...] The new three-drug regimen with the new FDA-approved antibiotic beats those figures handily, according to data from a small Phase III clinical trial. The regimen cleared the infection from 95 of 109 patients with XDR-TB or treatment-unresponsive MDR-TB in just six months. That's an 87% treatment success rate for six months of treatment. (Two patients not included in the 95 extended their treatment to nine months.)

Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/08/how-a-new-antibiotic-destroys-extremely-drug-resistant-tuberculosis/


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by janrinok on Monday August 19 2019, @12:13PM (4 children)

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 19 2019, @12:13PM (#882071) Journal

    I've quickly read the references and the adverse affects of just one of the 3 drugs (Pretomanid) to be taken "included damage to the nerves (peripheral neuropathy), acne, anemia, nausea, vomiting, headache, increased liver enzymes (transaminases and gamma-glutamyltransferase), indigestion (dyspepsia), rash, increased pancreatic enzymes (hyperamylasemia), visual impairment, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), and diarrhea".

    It doesn't say if the effects are long-lasting or only for the duration of treatment. However it does add "As required for drugs approved under the LPAD pathway, labeling for Pretomanid includes certain statements to convey that the drug has been shown to be safe and effective only for use in a limited population". Presumable it is unsafe, or is ineffective, in everyone else.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Monday August 19 2019, @01:32PM

    by hemocyanin (186) on Monday August 19 2019, @01:32PM (#882107) Journal

    My biology is extremely basic, but is 87% a good success rate? Wouldn't that lead to Uber-XDR-TB in a relatively short time?

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Monday August 19 2019, @05:13PM

    by sjames (2882) on Monday August 19 2019, @05:13PM (#882218) Journal

    Safety is relative. If other treatments have failed and you are facing an early death, a lot of drugs that would otherwise be out of the question start to make sense. A 50% chance of death is much safer than a 99% chance.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by RS3 on Monday August 19 2019, @05:18PM

    by RS3 (6367) on Monday August 19 2019, @05:18PM (#882223)

    I only glanced at the article. I'm quite involved in my dad's medical care, and was with my mom. One extremely knowledgeable nurse, who worked for years in pharmaceutical research including clinical trials, assured me that most of the listed side effects, for any drug, occur in the low single-digit percentages. We can thank a highly litigious US for the excessive warnings. Generally the adverse side effects relate to specific conditions in a specific patient. It's very important for a doctor to know a patient, or at least for the patient to have a very complete medical history so that a doctor can make informed decisions regarding possible side effects.

    Another problem in the US is that if you're hospitalized, it's very rare for your doctor to be directly involved. The hospitalist (attending physician) takes over, and hopefully has your records and history correct.

  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday August 19 2019, @05:46PM

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday August 19 2019, @05:46PM (#882236) Journal

    Advers effects of NOT taking the drug: Death by Tuberculosis.

    I think I'll take the anal-leakage, thanks!