Preventing Acquired Resistance: Strengthen TB Treatment by Adding Amikacin in the First Treatment Week of Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis

Acquired drug-resistance is a major challenge for tuberculosis (TB) care programs. The 2020 WHO guidelines recommends replacing second-line injectables by bedaquiline in rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) treatment regimens. However, recent reports show too high rates of acquired bedaquiline resistance. This may be explained by the delayed onset of action of bedaquiline. The investigators will study whether high-dose amikacin (a second-line injectable), administered during the first week of RR-TB treatment, is safe in 20 patients treated for RR-TB in Rwanda. If safe, further studies will assess whether adding amikacin in the first treatment week protect against acquired bedaquiline resistance. This study is embedded in an ongoing "Master study" of the ShORRT (short oral RR-TB) treatment regimen in Rwanda, a before/after study, with a retrospective cohort (before; the previously recommended second-line injectable-containing RR-TB regimen) and a prospective cohort (after: the newly recommended ShORRT regimen).