A 6- to 9-months oral regimen for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis: a randomized open-label noninferiority trial in China

Objectives Despite advancements in shorter, oral regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis, more options are needed to extent patient benefits. We conducted a trial to evaluate the noninferiority of an all-oral regimen compared with the injectable-containing regimen. Methods In an open-label, randomized noninferiority trial in China, participants with rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis were assigned 1:1 to a 6- to 9-month all-oral regimen (levofloxacin, linezolid, cycloserine, clofazimine and/or pyrazinamide) and a 9-month injectable-containing control regimen. The primary outcome was a favourable outcome at 84 weeks after treatment initiation, defined by two consecutive, negative cultures with no previous unfavourable outcome, using a noninferiority margin of 10%. Results Between 2 June 2020, and 1 December 2021, 660 participants were enrolled and 354 underwent randomization. A total of 312 and 260 participants were included in the modified intention-to-treat and the per-protocol analysis, respectively. In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, 76.1% of participants in the oral group and 63.7% of those in the control group had a favourable outcome at 84 weeks (difference, 12.4%; 95% CI, 2.4-22.5%; noninferiority p Conclusions The all-oral regimen was noninferior to the 9-month injectable-containing regimen, offering an alternative for patients lacking access to bedaquiline, delamanid or pretomanid. However, its efficacy against the latest WHO-recommended bedaquiline-containing regimens requires further validation.