Second-line drug-resistant TB and associated risk factors in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.

Background: Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) remains a major public health threat. In 2022, Uzbekistan reported 2,117 cases of DR-TB, with 69% tested for fluoroquinolone resistance. Limited information is available on the prevalence of resistance to bedaquiline, linezolid, and fluoroquinolone, which are key components of the all-oral treatment regimen for rifampicin-resistant TB in Uzbekistan.

Short oral regimens for pulmonary rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (TB-PRACTECAL): an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 2B-3, multi-arm, multicentre, non-inferiority trial.

Background: Around 500 000 people worldwide develop rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis each year. The proportion of successful treatment outcomes remains low and new treatments are needed. Following an interim analysis, we report the final safety and efficacy outcomes of the TB-PRACTECAL trial, evaluating the safety and efficacy of oral regimens for the treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis.

A 24-Week, All-Oral Regimen for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Background: In patients with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis, all-oral treatment regimens that are more effective, shorter, and have a more acceptable side-effect profile than current regimens are needed.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, phase 2-3, multicenter, randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of three 24-week, all-oral regimens for the treatment of rifampin-resistant tuberculosis. Patients in Belarus, South Africa, and Uzbekistan who were 15 years of age or older and had rifampin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis were enrolled.

Optimising recruitment to a late-phase tuberculosis clinical trial: a qualitative study exploring patient and practitioner experiences in Uzbekistan.

Background: Addressing the global burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) requires identification of shorter, less toxic treatment regimens. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is currently conducting a phase II/III randomised controlled clinical trial, to find more effective, shorter and tolerable treatments for people with MDR-TB. Recruitment to the trial in Uzbekistan has been slower than expected; we aimed to study patient and health worker experiences of the trial, examining potential factors perceived to impede and facilitate trial recruitment, as well as general perceptions of clinical research in this context.