Clofazimine as a Treatment for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Review
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an infectious disease caused by <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> which is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin. This disease is a worldwide threat and complicates the control of tuberculosis (TB). Long treatment duration, a combinat...
| Published in: | Scientia Pharmaceutica |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-0532/89/2/19 |
| Summary: | Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an infectious disease caused by <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> which is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin. This disease is a worldwide threat and complicates the control of tuberculosis (TB). Long treatment duration, a combination of several drugs, and the adverse effects of these drugs are the factors that play a role in the poor outcomes of MDR-TB patients. There have been many studies with repurposed drugs to improve MDR-TB outcomes, including clofazimine. Clofazimine recently moved from group 5 to group B of drugs that are used to treat MDR-TB. This drug belongs to the riminophenazine class, which has lipophilic characteristics and was previously discovered to treat TB and approved for leprosy. This review discusses the role of clofazimine as a treatment component in patients with MDR-TB, and the drug’s properties. In addition, we discuss the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of clofazimine for treating MDR-TB. This study concludes that the clofazimine-containing regimen has better efficacy compared with the standard one and is also well-tolerated. Clofazimine has the potential to shorten the duration of MDR-TB treatment. |
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| ISSN: | 0036-8709 2218-0532 |