Bedaquiline: A novel antitubercular drug for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

• Main Authors: H Nagabushan, H S Roopadevi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-01-01
• Series: Journal of Postgraduate Medicine
• Subjects: Adenosine triphosphate synthase enzyme; bedaquiline; multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Online Access: http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=2014;volume=60;issue=3;spage=300;epage=302;aulast=

Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are emerging global health threats. Bedaquiline is a new antituberculous drug belonging to the diarylquinoline class that efficiently inhibits the adenosine triphosphate synthase enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a bactericidal and long-acting drug. It inhibits both dormant as well as replicating bacterial sub-populations and thus shortens the duration of TB treatment. This drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2012 for the management of multidrug resistant-TB. The drug marks the introduction of a new addition to the TB armamentarium after four decades.