Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of drugs have similar efficacy to single-drug formulations for treating people with newly diagnosed TB, according to a Cochrane systematic review undertaken by researchers in Spain.
The authors assessed the safety of the FDC regime, its acceptability by the patient, and its ability to treat pulmonary TB in newly-diagnosed adults versus single-drug formulations.
A search of available literature up to November 2015 and 13 randomized control trials with 5,824 participants aged 15 and above were included in the review. The participants were from countries with high TB prevalence.
The simplification of treatment using FDCs is a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that they may improve adherence, reduce prescribing errors and improve supply efficiency.
The review findings support the WHO position, concluding that there was little or no difference between FDCs and single-drug formulations in terms of treatment failure and the number of deaths between each group were similar, as was the presence of related adverse effects. There was also no difference in sputum spear or culture conversion in terms of TB diagnosis. However, it was suggested that relapse may be more frequent with FDCs.