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Effectiveness of a simplified short regimen for
Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis treatment in Karakalpakstan,
Uzbekistan
Joint MSF - Operational Centre Amsterdam / MOH Uzbekistan Research Protocol
Research Protocol - amendment
April 2014
Philipp du Cros1
Khamraev Atadjan (deputy of Chairman of Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan) 2
Tillashaikhov Mirzagalib (MoH Uzbekistan, Director of specialized medical center of TB and pulmonology) 2
Parpieva Nargiza (MoH Uzbekistan, chief TB specialist)2
Tigay Zinaida (Chief of TB2)2
Sholtaeva Marjan (Chief TB doctor of Kegeily rayon)2
Abdrasuliev Tleubergen (Chief TB doctor of Shumanay rayon)2
Marttje Betlam (Doctor Kegeily Rayon)1
Emily Wise (Doctor Shumanay)1
Teshome Ashagre (Medical Coordinator)1
Johanna Kuhlin1
Andrii Slyzkyi(laboratory manager) 1
Alia Taye Epidemiologist Uzbekistan1
Sebastian Dietrich1
Bern-Thomas Nyangwa1
Jane Greig1
Pamela Hepple1
Graham Cooke3
Krzysztof Herboczek1
Muhammad Asif1
Jay Achar1
Catherine Berry1
1
Médecins Sans Frontières, Operational Center Amsterdam
Ministry of Health Uzbekistan
3 Imperial College London
2
Main contacts
Co-Principal Investigator MSF
Dr. Philipp du Cros
Médecins Sans Frontières–UK
67 Saffron Hill
London
e-mail: [email protected]
Co-Principal Investigator MoH
Dr. Khamraev A. Karimovich
[email protected]
Pilot Coordinator
Catherine Berry
Médecins Sans Frontières, Nukus
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +998913778652
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................. 4
SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 5
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 6
Context ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Current Standard of Care for MDR TB ........................................................................................ 8
Evidence for short course MDR TB treatment ............................................................................ 9
HYPOTHESIS .............................................................................................................................. 11
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 11
Primary objective ...................................................................................................................... 11
Secondary objectives ................................................................................................................ 11
PATIENTS AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 11
1. Study design ...................................................................................................................... 11
2. Study sites ......................................................................................................................... 11
3. Partnership/study coordination ....................................................................................... 12
4. Study participants and sample size................................................................................... 13
5. Study endpoints ................................................................................................................ 15
6. Case Definitions ................................................................................................................ 16
7. Treatment options ............................................................................................................ 17
8. Monitoring of adverse events/reactions .......................................................................... 19
9. Assessment of treatment effectiveness ........................................................................... 21
10. Study procedure and patient flow.................................................................................... 23
11. Laboratory tests and electrocardiogram .......................................................................... 26
12. Variables ........................................................................................................................... 27
13. Data collection .................................................................................................................. 27
14. Statistical Analysis ............................................................................................................ 28
ETHICAL ISSUES ......................................................................................................................... 28
1. Ethical Committee............................................................................................................. 28
2. Consent forms ................................................................................................................... 28
3. Expected risks and advantages ......................................................................................... 29
4. Confidentiality ................................................................................................................... 30
5. Community Involvement .................................................................................................. 30
BUDGET ..................................................................................................................................... 31
TIMELINE ................................................................................................................................... 32
DISSEMINATION OF STUDY RESULTS ........................................................................................ 32
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 33
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ALT
ART
BMI
Cfz
Cm
DST
DR TB
E
FLD
Gfx
H
Hb
HIV
IUATLD
Km
Mfx
MSF
MDR TB
MTB
MoH
MGIT
NRL
OCA
Pto
SLD
TB
TSH
VL
WHO
XDR TB
Z
Alanine aminotransferase
Antiretroviral Therapy
Body Mass Index
Clofazimine
Capreomycin
Drug Sensitivity Test
Drug resistant tuberculosis
Ethambutol
First line drugs
Gatifloxacin
Isoniazid
Hemoglobin
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases
Kanamycin
Moxifloxacin
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders
Multidrug resistant TB
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Ministry of Health
Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube
National Reference Laboratory
Operational Centre Amsterdam
Prothionamide
Second line drugs
Tuberculosis
Thyroid stimulating hormone
Viral load
World Health Organization
Extremely drug resistant tuberculosis
Pyrazinamide
SUMMARY
Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is a growing problem and few people have access to
adequate diagnosis and treatment. The current recommended treatment regimen for MDR TB
has a minimum of 20 months duration with high toxicity. Scale up of MDR TB treatment is
associated with high default rates, and experience in the MSF programme in Uzbekistan shows
that the current standard treatment greatly limits the ability to scale up to meet the high rates
of MDR TB in the region. Evidence from Bangladesh in 2010 showed that a 9-month shortcourse regimen could achieve a relapse free-cure rate of 88%. Several countries in West Africa
started implementing similar regimens with similar outcomes. Evidence of effectiveness of this
shortened regimen amongst regions with high second line drug use and resistance is still
limited. We propose an observational study under programmatic conditions to evaluate the
effectiveness of a shortened course MDR TB regimen in the high MDR/XDR TB prevalence
setting of Karakalpakstan.
A prospective observational study has been designed. All patients with presumptive MDR TB
identified with rapid molecular testing (MTBDR plus or Xpert® MTB/RIF assay) and later on
culture confirmed MDR TB without the history of the previous treatment for MDR TB for longer
than one month will be included in the study. The study regimen is composed of an intensive
phase of at least 4 months duration of Pyrazinamide (Z) + Ethambutol (E) + Isoniazid (H) +
Moxifloxacin (Mfx) + Capreomycin (or Kanamycin/Amikacin) (Cm/Km/Am) + Prothionamide
(Pto) + Clofazimine (Cfz) and a continuation phase of oral drugs Z-E-Mfx-Pto-Cfz. Patients will be
followed up until the end of treatment and during 12 months after treatment completion in
order to evaluate the rate of relapse.
The primary outcome measure is the success rate at the end of treatment, and relapse and reinfection rates during 12 months of follow up after completion of treatment. Secondary
outcome measures include rate of adverse events, interim outcomes with sputum smear
microscopy and culture conversion rates at 4 and 6 months and time to conversion.
Data will be recorded in patient’s clinical files and electronic databases and analyzed with Stata
11.0.
This study is a result of ongoing collaboration of MSF with the MoH in Uzbekistan; results will
be shared with the national health authorities, World Health Organization and the rest of the
scientific community and aim to influence and improve treatment and care of patients with
MDR TB.
INTRODUCTION
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is defined as Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant
to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs. An
estimated 440,000 new cases of MDR-TB occur globally each year with an estimated 150,000
deaths (WHO 2010). The highest proportions of MDR-TB globally are in countries of Eastern
Europe and Central Asia, including Uzbekistan.
MDR TB / XDR TB is an increasing problem as highlighted in the 2012 WHO global tuberculosis
report. (WHO 2012) MDR-TB treatment requires complex, expensive treatment with less
effective second line drugs, and is often associated with significant side effects. The minimum
treatment duration is 20 months. Treatment outcomes for patients with MDR-TB are worse
than for drug sensitive TB, with low success rates and high rates of treatment failure and
default (WHO 2011). The implementation of MDR TB treatment worldwide is stagnating with
very limited scale up predicted between 2012-2015 with current treatment, leaving a large gap
between those in need of treatment and those diagnosed and commenced on treatment.
(WHO 2012) In addition, a recent systematic review showed that increased cohort size is
associated with increased rates of default suggesting that as programmes scale up, results
worsen (Toczek 2012).
In 2010, a cohort study of MDR TB patients treated with a 9 month short course regimen
achieved a relapse-free cure rate of 88% in 206 patients (Van Deun 2010). Following the
publication of the Bangladesh experience, several countries in Africa are piloting
implementation of similar regimens and early results show similarly impressive outcomes. The
Union for tuberculosis and lung disease has included this regimen in its recently published
tuberculosis programmatic guidelines (Ait-Khaled 2010). MSF is currently using the 9-month
regimen in Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, and will commence
implementation of a prospective cohort study in Swaziland.
Children have characteristically paucibacillary tuberculosis and thus they may require shorter
duration and fewer drugs than adults to treat MDR TB infection and they could benefit from
this regimen; however evidence of MDR TB treatment in children is scarce. We aim to include
children in this study.
Further data from the Bangladesh short course programme have consistently shown relapse
free treatment success of 85.5% in 476 patients with 2 years follow up. Reported adverse
events are lower than those reported with standard MDR TB treatment. However in patients
with fluoroquinolone resistance the relapse free success rate was lower at 73.2%, and amongst
this group those who failed had high rates of amplification of resistance (Van Deun 2012). There
is still much contention about the 9 month MDR TB regimen owing to the fact that the data
available is of low quality evidence from single arm cohort studies, and in the case of the
Bangladesh programme there were a large number of patients eligible for enrolment who did
not get included which suggests the possibility of biased selection. It is unclear what would
allow this short course regimen to work, and there is no data about the impact of baseline
resistance to drugs used in the regimen such as pyrazinamide, ethambutol, injectables or
prothionamide. WHO has requested that countries piloting this regimen collect data under
operational research conditions, and have cautioned that there is not enough data to know
whether this regimen will be effective in all contexts.
We propose an observational study to evaluate the effectiveness of this short-course MDR TB
regimen in the high MDR TB prevalence and high second line drug resistance setting of
Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.
Context
Uzbekistan is included in WHO’s 27 high burden MDR-TB countries, with a recent National TB
drug resistance survey reporting 23% of new TB patients and 62% of previously treated patients
were infected with MDR-TB (WHO 2012). Karakalpakstan is an autonomous region of
Uzbekistan, situated in the North West of the country, covering approximately one third of the
country, with a population of approximately 1.2 million. The Karakalpakstan population suffers
from high rates of health problems, associated with severe environmental degradation as well
as economic, social and health care services deterioration (Crighton 2011). The prevalence of
TB in Karakalpakstan was reported to be 464/100,000 population, considerably higher than in
the rest of Uzbekistan (227/100,000) (WHO 2009, MoH Uzbekistan 2009).
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), together with the Ministry of Health, initiated a DOTS-plus
project to treat MDR-TB in 2003 in 2 rayons (districts) in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. Drug
sensitivity testing (DST) was initially provided for DR-TB suspects, but was expanded to include
all smear positive patients from 2006. Treatment was based on international treatment
guidelines, initially with individualized treatment regimens. In 2010, the programme
commenced scaling up to other districts. Simplified treatment guidelines for comprehensive TB
care for diagnosis and treatment of all forms of TB were developed with standardized side
effect management. Psychosocial support, health education and enablers/incentives are
provided in accordance with international best practice. Initially patients were hospitalized, but
in 2011 ambulatory treatment from day 1 was introduced as an option for patients who did not
require hospitalization. Comprehensive TB care has now been introduced to 8 districts, and in
2013 treatment will commence in a further 2-3 districts.
Sputum smear microscopy, culture and DST are conducted according to international standards
in the Nukus mycobacteriology laboratory. Smears are assessed using fluorescence microscopy.
Rapid molecular tests were introduced in 2007 (Hain MTBDR plus) and Xpert MTB/RIF was
introduced for 2 districts and pediatric cases in 2012. BACTEC™ MGIT™ 960 liquid culture
system was introduced to the laboratory for first line drug testing in September 2007 and for
second line drug testing in 2011 Quality control tests of the performance of the Nukus
laboratory are evaluated by the Gauting laboratory.
By September 2012, 2670 patients with TB showing any form of drug resistance had completed
treatment in Karakalpakstan. Treatment success rates are in line with experience reported
internationally, with 62% success rate for all MDR-TB patients treated between 2003-2008
(Lalor 2011). Resistance rates to ofloxacin (fluoroquinolones) and capreomycin at baseline are
low as <3%, while resistance rates to kanamycin have ranged between 10-20%. Resistance rates
to ethambutol and pyrazinamide are >60%, and to prothionamide approximately 15% (Nukus
epidemiologist personal communication).
Current Standard of Care for MDR TB
The current standard of care for MDR TB treatment involves a long duration of treatment
(minimum 20 months) with at least 5 anti-TB medications including an injectable for a minimum
of 8 months. The treatment recommendations are based on low quality of evidence with some
recommendations being conditional, mostly from evidence from single arm retrospective
cohort descriptions, expert opinion and anecdotal evidence (WHO 2011). Treatment success
rates are less than ideal with systematic reviews showing success rates of 62-64% (Orenstein,
2009; Johnston, 2009), but a recent individual patient data meta-analysis of over 9000 MDR TB
patients reporting success rates of only 54% (Ahuja, 2012).
Standard MDR TB treatment is associated with a high incidence of side effects. More than one
third of patients will suffer from significant nausea and vomiting despite prescription of antiemetics, and more than 10% of patients will suffer from each of the following side effects:
diarrhea (21%), arthralgia (16%), dizziness/vertigo (14%), hearing disturbances (12%), headache
(11%), sleep disturbances (11%), electrolyte disturbances (11%) and abdominal pain (11%). In
addition, serious life threatening or life impinging side effects are reasonably frequent
including: psychosis (3%), peripheral neuropathy (8%), depression (6%), allergic reaction (5%),
seizures (4%), hypothyroidism (3.5%), hepatitis (2%) and renal failure (1%). (WHO 2008) One of
the major issues discussed by all patients participating in online blogging about their experience
with MDR TB in several countries was the major impact on their lives of the side effects of the
current treatment regimen (TB and me blogs: http://blogs.msf.org/tb/).
Default rates from MDR-TB treatment are high with 23% default reported in a recent metaanalysis(Ahuja 2012). Reported factors influencing defaulting from TB treatment include
lengthy treatment, side effects, high cost of treatment for patients in settings where patients
must pay, indirect costs such as loss of wages, increased poverty and gender discrimination,
dissatisfaction with health care worker attitudes, limited knowledge, and negative beliefs and
attitudes to treatment, challenges with drug procurement and sustained supply of second-line
drugs, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders. In addition, a recent meta-analysis showed
that as programme size increases default rates also increase, highlighting the difficulties of
scaling up effective MDR-TB treatment with current international gold standard treatment
(Toczek 2012). Patients defaulting from treatment are at higher risk of mortality and morbidity,
and may contribute to further spread of MDR-TB in the community.
In summary, the current standard of care for MDR TB treatment is complex, requires a long
duration, results in over 1 in 5 patients starting treatment defaulting and the majority of
patients experience significant and sometimes life threatening side effects. The regimens are
based on low quality scientific evidence and as experienced in the MSF/MoH programme in
Uzbekistan the current regimen is not feasible to rapidly scale up in order to meet the scale of
the global problem. In response to the new WHO global TB report in 2012 a recent Lancet
editorial stated that “The response to the problem is woefully insufficient” and concluded that
it is time to re-examine the current tuberculosis control approach as “The status quo is
unacceptable” (Lancet editorial 2012).
Evidence for short course MDR TB treatment
WHO cites that the current recommendation for the duration of MDR TB regimens is based on
low quality evidence. The guidelines acknowledge that a shorter regimen would be preferable,
but due to a lack of evidence for an optimal alternative, did not endorse short-course therapies
for MDR-TB treatment. The short course regimen used in the Bangladesh study would provide
benefits in terms of patient tolerability and improved feasibility for programme scale up.
A standardized short-course treatment regimen for MDR TB including Kanamycin (Km),
Gatifloxacin (Gfx), Clofazimine (Cfz), Prothionamide (Pto), Pyrazinamide (Z), Ethambutol (E) and
Isoniazid (H) for 4 months (intensive phase) and 5 months of E, Z, Gfx, Cfz (continuation phase)
has demonstrated effectiveness in a prospectively followed cohort of patients in Bangladesh.
The duration for some patients slow to sputum smear convert was extended by 1-2 months.
This 9-11 month regimen was reported to have a relapse-free cure rate of 87.9% (95% CI, 82.7-
91.6) among 206 patients (Van Deun et al 2010) and a culture conversion rate of 85% at 2
months of treatment. Updated data in this cohort of patients enrolled until 09/2010 show a
relapse-free cure rate of 85% among 493 patients (Van Deun, 2012). In addition, adverse events
recorded are significantly less frequent and less serious than those that have been reported for
the 20+month WHO regimen (Shin, 2007).
Three West African countries (Benin, Cameroon and Niger) have implemented the same or a
very similar regimen; unpublished evidence so far has shown excellent treatment outcomes.
Cameroon is implementing a 12-month course Gfx-based treatment with Pto for the entire
treatment duration. This cohort has reported a cure rate of 93% amongst 74 patients and no
short term relapse. Benin has similar successful outcomes from implementation of a 9-month
MDR TB treatment regimen where Gfx is replaced by Moxifloxacin (Mfx) as a 4 th generation
quinolone and Pto used for the entire regimen. Gfx was replaced by Mfx due to the problems
and availability of Gfx and concerns about its safety. According to personal communication with
The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (IUATLD), Benin and Niger are
reducing treatment length to 9 months due to significant findings of its efficacy. Other
countries like Central African Republic are looking into piloting this regimen. None of these
countries have reported any major tolerance problems or adverse events in their study
populations. However, those cohorts are still very small and the availability of second line TB
drugs outside of TB programmes is limited, with the rates of second line drug resistance likely
much lower than in Uzbekistan. As a result of the above evidence, the 9-month MDR TB
regimen has been formally recommended by the IUATLD for confirmed MDR TB cases (AitKhaled, 2010).
Cost of drugs is a major limiting factor for scale up of MDR TB programs. The drugs alone for the
20+ month regimen cost approximately 4,000 Euros. The cost of the 9 month regimen used in
the Bangladesh study was approximately 200 Euros.
It is uncertain whether the findings in the Bangladesh study are applicable to a different setting
such as Uzbekistan. Due to the small size of the cohorts available and the single arm study
designs, there is debate about the generaliseability of the findings in the Bangladesh study and
subsequent cohort studies in Africa. There is conjecture that the results may be due to
population selection bias with use in contexts with low levels of second line drug resistance.
The role of isoniazid and first line drugs in the regimen has also been postulated to have an
effect where there is likely to be low level isoniazid resistance or low rates of resistance to
ethambutol and pyrazinamide. However, personal communication with the authors of the
Bangladesh study reports that rates of high level isoniazid resistance were very high in the
cohort, and ofloxacin resistance was approximately 10%. MSF and MoH Uzbekistan have
decided based on the available evidence and the Union recommendation to commence
implementation of the short course regimen with ongoing programme monitoring and have
implemented this in 2 districts. A third district will be added to increase recruitment with the
aim of completing the recruitment phase and meeting the planned sample size by the end of
2014.
HYPOTHESIS
A standardized short-course MDR TB treatment regimen (of 9-11 months) is effective under
routine programme conditions in a context with high MDR TB prevalence and high second line
drug resistance rates.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Primary objective
To describe outcomes at end of treatment and relapse rate at 1 year following treatment
completion of a short course (9-11 month) MDR TB treatment in programmatic conditions in
Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.
Secondary objectives
1. To describe the adverse events of the treatment regimen
2. To evaluate risk factors for unfavorable outcomes (death, lost-to-follow up and failure) and
relapse as a combined cohort.
3. To describe the rate of resistance amplification amongst patients with outcome failure.
PATIENTS AND METHODOLOGY
1. Study design
We aim to conduct a prospective observational cohort study in three districts in Karakalpakstan,
Uzbekistan.
2. Study sites
Kegeily Rayon
Comprehensive TB care was implemented in Kegeily in March 2012. Kegeily rayon1 is a large
rayon (district) with a population of 83,000 and the estimated number of MDR TB patients is 85
patients per year. The rayon has 2 Polyclinics (outpatient clinics for TB care) and 21 SVPs
(general practice surgeries with staff trained in TB care), there are 3 TB doctors in the rayon
who supervise the care provided by the general practitioners (SVP doctors) and nurses. Both TB
1
Rayon is the Russian word describing an administrative region, most easily translated as district, with health
services planned around the populations living in Rayons.
doctors and all SVPs doctors in Kegeily have been trained on the TB diagnostic algorithm,
management of side effects and when to refer patients as per the Karakalpakstan
comprehensive TB care protocol.
Shumanay Rayon
The comprehensive TB care programme will be implemented in Shumanay in 2013. Shumanay
is a small rayon and close to Khodjeily rayon where comprehensive TB care is already
implemented. Shumanay has a population of 52,000 and an estimated number of MDR TB
patients of 50 patients per year. There is 1 Polyclinic and 9 SVPs in the rayon and it has 3 TB
doctors, where one of these TB doctors has experience working with MDR TB diagnosis and
treatment having worked in the main referral hospital for MDR TB (TB2) in Nukus City.
Nukus City
Nukus city is the largest district in Karakalpakstan with a population of 268 000. There are 9
polyclinics serviced by 12 MoH TB doctors. The TB doctors are supervised by Sapaev
Nurmukhamed in TB1 and Zinaida Tigay via the TB2 consilium. There were around 250 new
diagnoses of DR tuberculosis in Nukus City in 2013; we expect 15 new MDR TB admissions per
month.
3. Partnership/study coordination
The study will be conducted in a partnership between the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan and
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) – Operational Center Amsterdam
(OCA). The National TB programme Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Health have actively
participated in protocol development, and will participate in study implementation and
interpretation and publication of results.
The study will be implemented by the caregiver team in each site supported by the
epidemiologist and data management team. An additional doctor (study coordinator) will be
responsible for supervision of the training, implementation and monitoring. The study
coordinator will be responsible for the implementation of the study procedures in all clinical
sites in collaboration with the MoH and MSF staff working in each Rayon. Two additional nurses
will be provided as “pilot project nurses” to ensure documentation is filled in, side effects
recorded and graded, proper information given to patients/DOT-nurses, collecting data and
performing ECG. In addition, 3 MoH doctors will be responsible for monitoring of the
implementation. The study team will ensure correct implementation and follow-up of the study
procedures and will discuss study developments and all complex cases with the reference
person (HIV/TB adviser) at the head office level (MSF OCA).
4. Study participants and sample size
The study population will constitute all consecutive presumptive MDR TB patients (adults)
identified by standard diagnostic protocols in Uzbekistan screening with molecular tests or with
MGIT-culture/first line drugs DST (in case of initial Xpert® MTB/RIF negative). Children
suspected of MDR TB diagnosis who are close contacts of a confirmed MDR TB patient at the
three participating study sites will also be enrolled. Participants will fulfill the
inclusion/exclusion criteria outlined below as eligible for taking the short MDR TB treatment
regimen and fill an informed consent form.
The following patients will be offered inclusion in the study (as described in the research
protocol):
 New presumptively diagnosed MDR TB patients (adults and children) with Xpert® MTB/RIF
or Hain MTBDR, or confirmed with Hain MTBDR plus on positive cultures if initial molecular
tests negative or confirmed from MGIT culture/DST if initial molecular tests negative;
 Children (<14 yo) suspected of MDR TB without bacteriological confirmation but
documented as a close contact of a confirmed MDR TB patient;
AND
 Informed consent to participate in the study signed by the patient or the responsible
caretaker for patients <16 years old (as per national legislation).
Only patients with a history of prior treatment with second line anti-TB drugs for less than one
month will be eligible for inclusion.
Patients will be included regardless of HIV status.
Exclusion criteria at baseline:
 Baseline contraindications to any medications of the study regimen medications, where
benefits of the regimen do not outweigh the risks as judged by treating physician;
 Severe renal insufficiency with estimated creatinine clearance of <30 ml/min at baseline
(calculated with Cockcroft-Gault formula);
 Patients with extrapulmonary TB only (without involvement of lung parenchyma)
 Patients with documented ofloxacin resistance
 Patients with XDR TB (additional resistance to SLD kanamycin (or capreomycin) AND
ofloxacin);
 Patients with resistance to both Km and Cm.
 Critically ill and in the judgement of the treating physician unlikely to survive more than 1
week (these patients may still be commenced on standard MDR TB treatment according to
the Karakalpakstan comprehensive TB treatment guidelines)
 Has one or more of the following risk factors for QTc prolongation:
o A confirmed prolongation of QTc interval (Fridericia formula), e.g., repeated
demonstration of QTcF (Fridericia correction) interval > 500 ms in the screening ECG
(i.e., retesting to reassess eligibility will be allowed once using an unscheduled visit
during the screening phase);
Of note, pregnancy and breastfeeding are not exclusion criteria. Consideration to treatment
initiation after the first trimester (12 weeks of pregnancy) as it is done with the standard 20+
month regimen and comprehensive information and counselling of risks and benefits will be
offered to pregnant women. We decided to include pregnant women because the alternative is
a longer regimen with similar toxicity, risks and similar safety class drugs and with limited
evidence of safety as well. All cases of pregnancy /breastfeeding and pediatric cases will be
discussed with the TB / HIV adviser and a mini-consilium consisting of the medical team leader,
the Head pediatric TB doctor for Karakalpakstan and the chief physician for TB2 inpatient
facility
Withdrawal from study and analysis:
All patients commenced on the 9 month regimen and thereafter with full DST found to be
either:
 Non MDR TB (eg drug sensitive, mono or poly drug resistant TB) or
 resistance to Ofx (with or without injectable resistance) with MGIT culture and FLD/SLD-DST
or
 Showing resistance to both Km and Cm.
In case of resistance only to Km the regimen will be continued with the use of Cm at the same
dose as Km and this adjustment of regimen will not be considered as a change of regimen and
therefore will not be a cause of withdrawal.
Withdrawal from study but included in intention to treat analysis:
 Withdrawal of consent to participate in the study.
 Severe adverse event (SAE) necessitating change of regimen.
 Transfer out patients to centers where short regimen cannot be provided.
Patients that withdraw from the study will be offered an adjusted treatment regimen according
to DST pattern and following international WHO recommendations.
Sample size
The calculation of sample size is based on the expected rate of favorable treatment response of
documented TB (defined as cured and absence of relapse at 1 year after treatment
completion). The success rate with the current treatment (20+ months) in Karakalpakstan is on
average 60% in each annual cohort. The relapse rate for MDR TB with current international
standard treatment has been reported to be between 1.1 and 10% depending on duration of
follow up – with an average of 2%. Therefore current standard MDR TB treatment has a
favourable treatment response of 58%. We hypothesized that on intention-to-treat patients
that the short course MDR TB treatment regimen would have a successful outcome (cure and
complete) above 75% and that the relapse rate at 1 year post treatment would be about 3%,
giving a favourable treatment response of 72%. We expect a study loss to follow up (study
withdrawal plus patients lost to follow up during the 1 year post treatment follow up) of 15%.
Cohort sample size with 95% confidence interval for different expected response rates and
power:
Favourable
Treatment response
0.7
0.72
0.75
Power Alpha
Cohort size
+ withdraw rate (15%)
0.80
0.80
0.80
128
93
62
147
107
71
0.05
0.05
0.05
Taking all that into account, we propose an initial sample size of at least 110 MDR TB patients
assuming a withdrawal rate of 15% for an estimated favorable treatment response 1 year post
treatment of 72%.
Currently, the average number of MDR TB patients is estimated to be 8-12 per month in all
sites. Based on that, the estimated period for recruitment will be for a minimum of 10-12
months (from April 2013) with patients enrolled consecutively.
5. Study endpoints
Primary
 Rate of success (cure and treatment completion) at the end of short course MDR TB
treatment.
 Rate of relapse at 12 months after treatment completion.
Secondary
 Rates of cure and success per groups of MTB resistance patterns.
 Occurrence, type and severity of treatment-related side effects.
 Treatment interruptions and modifications of treatment.
 Unfavorable outcomes (default, death, failure) while on treatment.
 Risk factors for unfavorable outcome (death, default, failure) including rate of inhA and katG
mutations in MDR TB samples and rates of correlation with DST for high dose isoniazid.
 Rate of correlation smear microscopy/culture during treatment monitoring.
 Rate of resistance amplification amongst patients with outcome failure.
Interim analysis
The program will be routinely monitored producing quarterly results on sputum culture
conversion rates and outcomes. We define a minimum acceptable level of culture conversion
below which we will consider study interruption which is 60% for the overall cohort at 4
months, based on culture conversion rates at 4 months with standard MDR TB treatment in
similar cohorts (Holtz 2006, Kurbatova 2012).
Sputum culture conversion rate at 4 and 6 months after commencement of treatment for the
first cohort of 50 patients will offer interim analysis with acceptable 95% confidence intervals.
6. Case Definitions
a) Diagnosis of MDR TB
Diagnosis of MDR TB will be done according to current program algorithms. In summary all
patients suspected of TB will be referred for sputum sample screening with Xpert MTB/RIF.
Patients with rifampicin resistance detected by the Xpert MTB/RIF assay, or patients with Xpert
MTB-negative but culture positive isolates which show rifampicin resistance on Hain MTBDR
plus or phenotypic DST will be considered as cases. One sputum sample will be tested with
Xpert MTB/RIF per patient. If a suspected patient is smear negative and Xpert® MTB/RIF
negative, the diagnostic investigation will follow the comprehensive TB guidelines algorithm for
Karakalpakstan for TB diagnosis (algorithm included in short course protocol: see Annex 1). All
patients identified with rifampicin resistance by Xpert® MTB/RIF will be further evaluated with
Genotype® MTBDR sl2 and 2 sputum samples will be referred for confirmation with reference
standard conventional liquid culture (MGIT) and first line and second line DST. Culture and
phenotypic DST will be considered the reference standard for confirmation or exclusion of MDR
TB diagnosis. Genotype® MTBDR sl given the lower sensitivity and specificity for injectable
agents will only be used for ofloxacin resistance. All patients with ofloxacin resistance on
Genotype® MTBDR sl if in stable clinical condition will be eligible for enrolment based on
FLD/SLD DST results, otherwise they will be commenced on standard MDR TB treatment. In this
context, it is predicted that 3 of 100 patients will have ofloxacin resistance and that the
Genotype® MTBDR sl will detect 2 of these patients with 1 case of false negative test that will
only be detected by conventional DST 2-4 weeks after commencement of the short course
regimen.
Rifampicin resistance in rapid molecular testing (Xpert® MTB/RIF) will be used as a proxy for
MDR TB diagnosis. After rapid molecular testing and presumptive diagnosis, patients will start
an empirical short course MDR TB regimen. Given the high prevalence of rifampicin resistance
in Karakalpakstan, rifampicin testing with Xpert® MTB/RIF has a positive predictive value for
rifampicin resistance of over 90%, and rifampicin will not be included in the empiric regimen.
(see treatment protocol in Annex 1).
Patients shall be classified as smear negative or smear positive. This classification should be
based on a sputum result performed in the 30 days prior to treatment or within 7 days of
2
Rapid molecular test for ofloxacin and injectable resistance.
commencement. Drug susceptibility testing should be less than 90 days old and should be
repeated if the patient has had any treatment in the interim. If a patient has not submitted a
sputum sample, then this should be repeated prior to treatment.
Diagnosis of TB in children may be very difficult and bacteriological confirmation is sometimes
impossible, despite all available means, thus diagnosed in children will be made according to
the following criteria (Annex 1):
1. Bacteriological confirmation from 2 sputum samples screened with Xpert® MTB/RIF and
obtaining result: MTB+/Rif+ or with positive MGIT culture/DST of Xpert® MTB/RIF
negative patients with clinical suspicion of TB. Sputum samples will be obtained by
spontaneous expectoration or sputum induction.
2. Children with clinically suspected TB who are contacts of MDR TB phenotypicallyconfirmed patients.
Patients will be classified based on WHO criteria according to:
1. History of previous TB drugs use as new or previously treated patients with first or second
line drugs.
2. Previously treated patients will be classified according to previous treatment outcome as
relapse, treatment after default, treatment after failure of category 1, treatment after
failure of category 2, transfer in or other.
3. Localization of the TB: pulmonary or extra-pulmonary;
 Patients with extra-pulmonary TB alone will be excluded from the short course
regimen and will be offered standard MDR TB treatment
 Patients with severe form of extra-pulmonary TB e.g TB meningitis, bone TB and
Pulmonary TB simultaneously will also be excluded and treated with standard MDR
TB treatment.
 However, patients who have less severe form of extra-pulmonary TB (eg Lymph
node TB) and pulmonary TB are not excluded and will be offered short regimen.
b) Diagnosis of HIV infection
HIV infection will be diagnosed according to the current national protocol in Uzbekistan.
7. Treatment options
a) Treatment of MDR TB
The MDR TB regimen prescribed will be:
Intensive phase:
Pyrazinamide (Z) + Ethambutol (E) + Isoniazid (H) + Moxifloxacin (Mfx) + Capreomycin (Cm) +
Prothionamide (Pto) + Clofazimine (Cfz) for at least 4 months and until one negative culture is
documented with a maximum of 6 months duration.
Continuation phase:
Continuation phase of Pyrazinamide (Z) + Ethambutol (E) + Moxifloxacin (Mfx) + Prothionamide
(Pto) + Clofazimine (Cfz) for fixed 5 months duration.
The regimen and dosage follows the regimen used in Bangladesh with no modifications, with
the exception of including Pto during the entire duration of treatment as implemented in West
African countries, and the replacement of Gfx with Mfx as 4th generation quinolones. We will
not use Gfx as it is not broadly available in the market due to concerns about its safety.
Documentation of dosages (adult and pediatric) is detailed in the clinical protocol (Annex 1).
The dose of H is prescribed as in the regimen used in Bangladesh is a higher dose than
conventional use. Pyridoxine will be added to the regimen for prophylaxis of peripheral
neuropathy as described in the clinical protocol.
All patients will initiate this regimen and response will be monitored with monthly smear
microscopy and culture. From the experience with this regimen in other settings, patients show
earlier culture conversion. We aim for a short intensive phase of 4 months as in the regimen
used in Bangladesh, but with the possibility to offer a prolonged intensive phase to a maximum
of 6 months. Intensive phase duration will be a minimum of 4 months. If a patient is smear
positive at 3 months the intensive phase will be prolonged until 5 months. If the patient
remains smear positive and is culture positive at 5 months then the patient will be declared as a
failure and will have a repeat DST and be enrolled in standard MDR TB treatment. The regimen
used in Bangladesh based the switch to continuation phase on smear conversion. However, as
monthly culture will be performed for monitoring, these results will be used during the study
for patients who do not become smear negative and a guide of interpretation of smear and
culture monitoring results is included in the clinical protocol (annex 1). During the study,
further confirmation of correlation between smear microscopy and culture for monitoring
purposes will be examined. In case a patient is unable to produce a sputum sample for
monitoring due to good clinical evolution, switch to continuation phase will be done at 4
months after treatment initiation. In case a patient has 2 consecutive positive cultures after
becoming culture negative after 4 months of treatment, then the patient will be given the
outcome of failure (see below outcomes definitions) and the patient will stop the study
regimen. In case of one isolated positive culture, if the patient shows clinical good evolution,
the patient will continue the regimen awaiting results of a second culture. Patients with the
outcome of failure will be counselled and offered continuation of treatment with a regimen
adjusted based on repeat DST, previous drug treatment history, national guidelines and
consilium, study team and TB/HIV adviser recommendations. Provision of drugs for treatment
of those patients will also be assured. Outcomes of these patients will be documented.
In case of confirmed resistance to Km but sensitive to Cm, patients will continue with Cm and
will continue a shortened regimen; outcomes will also be documented for this subgroup of
patients. In case of confirmed resistance to Cm but sensitivity to Km the patient can be
switched to Km and continue the shortened regimen. Such cases should be discussed in
consilium and with the HIV/TB advisor to determine if a prolonged intensive phase is required.
Patients with confirmation of ofloxacin resistance or XDR TB (documented resistance to Km or
Cm and Ofx) will be withdrawn from the short regimen and removed from the study to initiate
a more appropriate regimen adjusted to the resistance pattern observed.
b) Treatment of HIV
All HIV/MDR TB co-infected patients who are ART naïve will be started on first line ART
following national and international HIV care and ART recommendations. All included HIV coinfected patients not yet on ART will start ART as soon as possible, between 2 weeks and 2
months after tolerating TB treatment. The preferred first option for ART will avoid the use of
tenofovir due to the increased risk of renal toxicity in co-administration with aminoglycosides.
AZT will be preferred over D4T due to the risks of peripheral neuropathy, except in cases of
severe anemia (Hb <8).
Patients already on ART at the moment of MDR TB diagnosis will be investigated for ART failure
in collaboration with the MoH HIV-centre in Nukus. This will include HIV RNA VL and following
the ART failure diagnostic algorithm following international and national recommendations. A
second HIV RNA VL will be repeated after 3 months (after adherence counseling and effective
MDR TB treatment initiation) and if ART failure confirmed patients will be initiated on second
line ART.
HIV treatment and prevention/treatment of other opportunistic infections will be provided and
recorded in the database following national and international recommendations.
8. Monitoring of adverse events/reactions
Monitoring for adverse events associated with the use of the proposed regimen in
programmatic conditions in a high MDR /XDR TB context will be done. Adverse event data will
be collected in a systematic, standardized format based on regular follow up visits and lab
monitoring. The format used will be based on current programme side effect monitoring forms.
(see Annex 3) The type, severity and possible relationship of side effects will be assessed
according to the DAIDS grading score (Annex 2) adapted for the agents used in the current
study and for side effects recorded at greater than 1% frequency in MDR TB treatment (current
standard treatment and experience reported from the cohorts using short course MDR TB
treatment).
The following definitions will be used for adverse events and reactions:
Adverse event (AE): any medical occurrence in a subject to whom a medical product has been
administered including occurrences which are not necessarily caused by or related to that
product. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (including an abnormal
laboratory finding), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal
(investigational) agent, whether or not related to the medicinal (investigational) agent.
Adverse reaction (AR): any unintended response to a medical product which is related to any
dose administered to the subject.
Serious Adverse Event (SAE) and Serious Adverse Reaction (SAR): any event or reaction that
results in death, is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or prolongation of existing
hospitalization or results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity.
The decision to postpone, modify or to interrupt/discontinue the regimen will be left at the
discretion of the clinical team following the patient in discussion with advisors. Some safety
rules will be pre-established and standardized in the protocol of MDR TB short regimen
management (Annex 1). According to expected toxicities suggestions for alternative
management will be provided based on the current evidence and recommendations from the
WHO “Guidelines for the programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Emergency
update 2008”. Any alteration in the scheduled regimen will be thoroughly registered and
justified in the patients’ file and database.
Contraception will be systematically offered to the female participants during the treatment
period, and a pregnancy test will be performed systematically before starting MDR TB
treatment and at each treatment visit if there is uncertainty about consistency of correct
contraceptive use. Contraceptive choice will be documented at baseline. The need to pursue (or
to stop) the treatment in case of pregnancy will be evaluated by the clinical team and advisors
on an individual basis, according to the benefit/risk balance at that moment. Women who
reject hormonal contraception are not excluded from the study.
9. Assessment of treatment effectiveness
We will use adjusted international WHO definitions to classify the type of response to TB
treatment (see below). An assessment will be performed at the end of the treatment period,
and a final assessment will take place at the end of the follow-up (12 months after completion
of the treatment).
Sputum conversion will be defined as two consecutive sets of negative smears (smear
conversion) and cultures (culture conversion), from samples collected at least 30 days apart.
The date of the collection of the first set of negative cultures and smears will be used as the
date of conversion. Both bacteriological techniques (microscopy and culture) will be monitored
and documented throughout the treatment. The smear will be the primary means of
determining the duration of the intensive phase as described above. For patients who remain
smear positive, then culture results will also be taken into account. However, both smear and
culture conversion will be analysed for the study secondary end point analysis on a quarterly
basis, and correlation of both measures with primary outcomes will be done at the conclusion
of the study.
The TB treatment outcome at the end of the treatment period is defined as follows (adjusted
outcomes definition for MDR TB programs WHO 2008, emergency update of guidelines for the
programmatic management of drug resistant tuberculosis):
Cure: An MDR TB patient who has completed the treatment according to programme protocol
and has at least four negative cultures from samples collected at least 30 days apart within the
final 5 months of treatment and if there is a positive culture it is followed by a minimum of
three consecutive negative cultures taken at least 30 days apart in the final 3 months of
treatment.
Treatment complete: An MDR TB patient who has completed treatment according to
programme protocol but does not meet the definition for cure because of lack of
bacteriological results (i.e. fewer than five cultures were performed in the final months of
treatment) or otherwise, completion of treatment with documented bacteriological conversion
persisting through the end of treatment, but fewer than five negative cultures. Treatment
completion will only be an outcome for patients that are not able to produce sputum; in case of
patients where the lack of bacteriological results is due to other reasons the outcome will be
registered as “other” in order to avoid misclassification.
Treatment outcome “other”: An MDR TB patient who has completed treatment according to
programme protocol but does not meet the definition for cure because of lack of
bacteriological results due to programmatic reasons (reasons other than the lack of patient’s
ability to produce sputum) such as culture contamination or no timely referral of sample by the
clinician, the outcome will be registered as “other” in order to avoid misclassification. In case of
contamination of the culture tube, new sputum samples for culture will be collected and
culture tubes de-contaminated and re-inoculated following standard laboratory procedures.
Death: An MDR TB patient who dies for any reason during the course of MDR TB treatment and
is not already classified as a treatment failure prior to death. Assumed causes of death will be
recorded.
Failure: Treatment will be considered failed when there is absence of bacteriological response
that will be defined as follows:
 Patient fails to show culture negative by the end of month 5 of a prolonged intensive phase.
 Culture positive during the continuation phase: two cultures positive during the
continuation phase or one culture positive during the last 3 months of treatment.
 Treatment will also be considered to have failed if a clinical decision has been made to
terminate treatment early because of poor clinical or radiological response or adverse
events (including due to prolonged QTc on ECG according to criteria defined in ECG section
below) where the team decides the regimen is failing and treatment is changed. These
latter failures can be indicated separately in order to do sub-analysis.
All failures with a documented positive culture will have DST and investigation of resistance to
document the rate of resistance amplification. Patients with a sputum sample collected after
the commencement of treatment that shows a positive culture and a DST demonstrating
amplification of resistance with either ofloxacin resistance or with capreomycin/kanamycin
resistance will be declared failures.
Default: An MDR TB patient whose treatment was interrupted for two or more consecutive
months for any reason without medical approval and not meeting the criteria for failure.
Transfer out: An MDR TB patient who has been transferred to another reporting and recording
unit and for whom the treatment outcome is unknown. Patients that require a transfer out will
be informed that it is very unlikely that they can continue the same regimen and they will have
to change to standard MDR TB regimen. In case that the treatment can be provided in the
receiving center and the outcome documented, this will be recorded.
Favourable versus Unfavourable Outcomes
Outcome will be considered as favorable in case of cure or treatment completion. All other
outcomes at the end of treatment (default, death, failure) will be considered as unfavorable.
At the end of the study follow up period the final outcome will be assessed and defined as:
Relapse-free: An MDR TB patient who meets the criteria of cured or completed short course of
treatment and remains asymptomatic at the end of the follow up period (one year after
treatment completion).
Relapse: An MDR TB patient who meets the criteria of cured or completed short course of
treatment and at any time during the follow up period (first year after treatment completion) is
subsequently diagnosed with at least one sample of bacteriologically positive MDR TB by
culture and DST.
10. Study procedure and patient flow
The study protocol will be explained to all physicians and nurses in all facilities in the study
districts (Shumunay, Kegeily and Nukus City). They will confirm the clinical diagnosis of patients
and together with the pilot project coordinator and rayon’s team will decide on patients’
eligibility for inclusion in the study. Informed consent will be obtained at that moment.
The patient flow is described in the clinical protocol (Annex 1).
Informed consent procedure
All patients at the moment of rifampicin resistance diagnosis and prior to MDR TB treatment
initiation will be offered the informed consent with thorough explanation on the study and
their invitation to participate in the study.
Baseline visit at MDR TB diagnosis
At baseline, the clinical history and physical examination will be evaluated and described in
detail. Other baseline clinical data will consist of HIV information (negative or positive, date of
HIV diagnosis, HIV WHO staging), co-morbidities, and ongoing therapies. A chest X-ray will be
performed at baseline.
Laboratory examinations will include molecular DST (Xpert® MTB/RIF or for patients with
negative Xpert® MTB/RIF and a positive culture then Hain MTBDR plus on the positive culture;
Genotype® MTBDR sl), sputum smear, sputum culture/DST and in addition basic parameters
(full blood count, liver transaminases, electrolytes, TSH, glucose and kidney function), as well as
HIV parameters (CD4 cell count baseline for all and HIV RNA viral load in patients that have
been at least 6 months on ART) and hepatitis B and C tests. Pregnancy testing will be performed
systematically, and contraception will be offered to female patients during the whole treatment
period.
Daily Observed Therapy (DOT)
Treatment will be administered and observed 7 days a week either at the selected outpatient
clinics (polyclinic or DOT corner) or at the home of the patient. All patients with severe clinical
conditions will be hospitalized in TB2 hospital if smear positive or the smear negative ward
(TB1/3) in Nukus, and DOT will be continued in that setting. Data on adherence and pill intake
will be recorded. Nurses trained in the study protocol will assure daily observed therapy seven
days per week. Support for adherence will be done according to standard protocols in
Uzbekistan, with a nurse educator ensuring treatment education and adherence support.
Follow up visit during treatment
Patients will do clinical follow up with a doctor at 2 weeks after MDR TB treatment initiation
and then monthly until treatment completion. At each visit, clinical assessment with evaluation
of side effects and a set of laboratory tests will be performed according to schedule and clinical
protocol (see table below and Annex 1). Evolution will be assessed by the doctor and/or nurse
with a specific data collection form (drug-o-gram or treatment card) to assess treatment
response and complications.
Any relevant clinical event (adverse events or reactions) and any required additional diagnostic
testing and/or therapy will be recorded. In case of unexpected events, study participants will be
advised where and to whom to present in emergency and they will have an emergency phone
number to call.
Patients will receive the same incentives provided currently in the standard comprehensive TB
protocol which includes some nutritional support for the patient and family. Patients will attend
the designated DOT corner to receive daily medication, or if the patient is living far from the
facility or unable to walk to the DOT corner then home based care will be provided.
Follow-up after treatment completion/outcome visits
All patients completing the prescribed 9-11 months treatment will be followed up until 12
months after treatment completion. A follow-up visit will be planned at 6 months after
treatment completion (or at any time earlier in case of re-occurrence of symptoms) for clinical
assessment and a final visit will take place at month 12 post-completion to assess the final
outcome (relapse).
The examinations during the study visits are summarized in the following table:
Baseline
visit
1st visit
Follow-up during treatment
2week
s
Clinical assessment
History &
Physical examination
(including weight)
Evaluation side effects
Outcome assessment
Laboratory
Xpert® MTB/Rif
X
1M
2M
x
3M
CP
At every clinical consultation
At end of treatment
X
X
Smear
Culture
X
X
DST (1st and 2nd line)
X
ECG
Full Blood Count
X
X
Creatinine*
Potassium
X
X
x
x
x
x
x
x
ALT
X
x
x
x
Glucose
X
Hearing test clinical
Hearing audiometry
4M-end IP
monthly
Genotype MTBDR sl
TSH
HepBs Antigen
Hep C Antibodies
HIV
Pregnancy test
If HIV+, CD4
If HIV+, RNA VL**
Other complementary
exams
Chest X-ray
After finalizing MDR TB treatment
Follow-up/outcome visits
6 months after 12 months after
treatment
treatment
completion
completion
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
In case of positive culture after culture conversion
x
x
x
x
x
x
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
Monthly
If +ve
If positive culture
Culture after conversion
x
x
If develops syncope or dizziness
If indicated clinically
End IP
Monthly
until end
IP
Monthly
until end
IP
x
End CP
x
x
x
x
x
In case of
relapse
In case of
relapse
x
In case of
relapse
In case of
relapse
In case of
relapse
In case of
relapse
x
In case of
relapse
In case of
relapse
In case of
In case of
relapse
relapse
If clinically indicated
Month
x
3ly if
monthly
elevat
ed at
baselin
e
Perform once at 6 months and if patient has symptoms/signs suggestive of hypothyroidism
Repeat only if indicated
If negative, offer to repeat if indicated
At 6M and 12M after ART initiation
At 6M and 12M after ART initiation
Repeat only if clinically
End CP
In case of
indicated
relapse
Monthly clinical assessment during IP – refer for audiometry if indicated
For patients with suspected hearing loss
x
x
In case of
relapse
*for patients with higher risk of renal insufficiency the monitoring of Creatinine may need to be more frequent. This includes diabetes, elderly
and baseline renal dysfunction and in case of co-treatment with TDF.
**if on ART for at least 6 months at MDR TB treatment initiation.
11. Laboratory tests and electrocardiogram
Hematology, biochemistry, HIV test, CD4 and molecular DST test (Xpert® MTB/RIF assay / Hain
MTBDR plus/ Genotype MTBDR sl) will be performed. MGIT culture and DST for first and second
line drugs will be performed at the Nukus Laboratory as per the current functioning of the
programme. The Nukus Mycobacteriology laboratory is proficiency tested for microscopy,
culture and first and second line TB drug DST through the supranational reference laboratory in
Gauting, Germany, via the Tashkent NRL. All sputum smear examination is also performed by
fluorescence microscopy at the Nukus laboratory prior to culture. All samples will be tested in
the Nukus laboratory and no samples will be exported out of the country.
Electrocardiogram
Both moxifloxacin and clofazimine may potentially prolong the QT interval as measured on an
electrocardiogram. Prolonged QT interval in the presence of some drugs has been associated
with torsade de pointes, which is a life threatening arrhythmia. However, a direct link between
QT prolongation and torsade de pointe arrhythmia has not been established, and prolonged QT
can occur without increased risk of arrhythmia (Giorgi 2010).
While the death rates in the cohort studies of the short course regimen that have been
reported are low, it is not known whether this will be the case in other populations. In
Uzbekistan, the combination of clofazimine and moxifloxacin has been used in drug regimens
for several years for the treatment of XDR TB and some patients failing MDR TB treatment.
Anecdotally there have not been cases of sudden death that could be due to arrhythmia,
however there has not been specific monitoring with ECG and it is possible that if cases did
occur they would have been missed. As there is no universal threshold for identifying druginduced QTc prolongation, and given the experience of combining these 2 drugs together
already (with a higher dose of clofazimine), the thresholds chosen for QTc will be when the QTc
exceeds >60ms compared with the baseline ECG QTc or when the QTc prolongs beyond 500 ms,
as these are thresholds that have been associated with the highest risk (Fenichel 2004). The
QTc will be calculated using the Fridericia’s formula which corrects for the heart rate and has
been shown to be more accurate at slower or faster heart rates than other correction formulae.
As one of the secondary objectives is to describe the rate of adverse events, a baseline ECG, an
ECG at two weeks and at 1 month will be performed. The ECG machine will be portable allowing
it to be performed in patients’ homes or DOT corners. Patients with an extension of the QT
interval from baseline of greater than 60 ms or a QTc of greater than 500 ms will have
treatment withheld and will be discussed with the study coordinator and TB/HIV adviser.
Reversible causes such as low potassium and magnesium will be checked for and corrected and
a decision about stopping treatment or continuing with weekly ECG monitoring will be made
based on whether the QTc persists above the thresholds despite correction of reversible
factors.
12. Variables
The following variables will be collected and monitored (see Annex 3 data collection forms). The
follow-up treatment card (or drug-o-gram) is the standard monitoring tool for the follow-up of
patients on MDR TB treatment. These variables will allow monitoring the treatment response,
safety and risk factors for unsatisfactory response:
 Demographic variables: age, gender.
 Physical examination: weight, height, BMI, hearing test (clinical and audiometry).
 TB: Date of diagnosis, date of treatment initiation, localization, dates of
laboratory tests, TB classification according to treatment history, adherence,
previous TB and MDR TB regimen drugs.
 HIV status and date of HIV diagnosis, cotrimoxazole and other prophylactic
treatments, ART, type of ART, ART starting date, adherence, and ART outcome.
 Co-morbidities including diabetes mellitus and opportunistic infections.
 Clinical diagnosis/complications.
 Chest X-ray abnormalities.
 Laboratory: TB smear, molecular test results (Xpert® MTB/RIF, Hain MTBDRplus/
Genotype MTBDR sl), MGIT culture, DST, Hb, CD4 cell count (if HIV infected), ALT,
Creatinine, Potassium, pregnancy test, TSH, glucose, Hepatitis Bs Antigen,
Hepatitis C antibodies.
 Side effects: hematologic, peripheral neuropathy, optic neuropathy,
gastrointestinal effects, fever, dermatologic events, renal, hepatic, audiologic,
thyroid, psychiatric (including depression)
 TB Outcomes: culture conversion, cure, completion, death, failure, default,
transfer out and relapse as per standard WHO definitions.
 Documented cause of death.
13. Data collection
Data collection forms will be used (see Annex 3). Data will be collected at baseline and at each
study visit. Data from these forms will be entered into a separate MSF MDR TB database
(Koch’6) that is already in use in the project. HIV-related data is not foreseen to be collected in
Koch’6, it will be exported and cross matched from a separate database that will collect all the
HIV-related data during the study. Data will be exported from both sources and merged into a
single dataset in Stata for statistical analysis. All databases are password protected, and will
have backups without patient names stored by the epidemiologist in headquarters MSF OCA.
14. Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis will be done in Stata 11.0 statistical package. During the analysis, withdrawal
from study (as described above) will be handled in 2 ways: an intention-to-treat analysis where
patients who are withdrawn from the study will be considered as treatment failures and a perprotocol analysis where withdrawn patients are excluded from the analysis.
The following statistical analyses will be done:
1. Analysis of rates of treatment outcomes.
2. Rates of relapse.
3. Survival analysis for mortality and relapse to obtain Kaplan-Meier survival graphs for
mortality and time to relapse.
For the secondary objectives the following analyses will be done:
4. Rates of sputum conversion and survival analysis for time to culture conversion.
5. Rates and severity of side effects.
6. Univariate analysis to assess risk factors for unfavorable response and confounding
factors will be investigated and adjusted in a multifactorial model (Cox proportional
hazards model). Hazards Ratio will be investigated for each risk factor with a 95%
confidence interval and a level of significance of 0.05.
Interim analyses of culture conversion, unfavourable outcomes and adverse events will be done
on the first cohort of 50 patients with completion of the intensive phase, this data will be
reviewed by the WHO Europe epidemiology unit. In addition, quarterly data will be reviewed by
the MoH of Uzbekistan monitoring group for the short course MDR TB treatment (Professor
Nazirov from Tashkent TB Institute, Sapaev Nurmukhamed (TB Coordinator from DOTS Center,
KK), Turaev Laziz (Lab.specialist, Tashkent).
ETHICAL ISSUES
1. Ethical Committee
The study will be conducted following approval of both ethical committees of Médecins sans
Frontières and Uzbekistan.
2. Consent forms
All patients with suspected TB will undergo standard counseling with explanation of TB, TB
treatment and drug resistant TB and patients with diagnosed TB are required to sign an
informed consent form as per standard practice in the Karakalpakstan programme (annex 5). In
addition, a written informed consent form in English and local languages (Karakalpak/Russian)
will be given, explained and read to the patients prior to the enrolment in the study (Annex 4).
Only patients from whom a signed (or fingerprint for those not able to write their name)
informed study consent form has been obtained will be included in the study. For children <16
years old, informed consent will be obtained from the legal guardian. The information will
include the aim of the study, data collection procedures, potential benefits and risks, and
assurance of confidentiality. The consent process will make clear that it is the individual’s
decision to participate in the study or not, and this will not affect the quality of their care –
however as the short course MDR TB treatment is only provided with the study setting a
decision not to participate in the study will mean that the standard 20+ month treatment will
be provided. Similarly they will be free to withdraw from the study at any time. Patients
refusing participation in the study or use of data for the study will not be eligible for a
shortened regimen of MDR TB, but will be able to access standard MDR TB treatment.
3. Expected risks and advantages
The study regimen uses first and second line MDR TB drugs which are recommended for use in
DR-TB treatment. These drugs are well known to cause side effects, some of which may be
severe. However, Karakalpakstan already has senior MoH clinicians in the programme having
experience since 2003 with these drugs and MDR TB treatment according to international
guidelines. In addition, the current evidence we have is that the side effects occur less often
with the study regimen than with the longer WHO recommended regimen. There is a risk of
interaction of the TB drugs with ARVs; this risk applies to both the standard regimen and the
study regimen and is judged to not be worse with the study regimen. There is a risk of
amplification of resistance if the regimen is not effective and in those cases the patient will be
given an outcome of failure and treatment duration will have to be 20+ months after
adjustment of the regimen according to DST and expert advice (discussion with MSF TB adviser
and Uzbekistan expert consilium); however, this risk also exists with the current standard of
care with failure rates close to 10% requiring treatment regimen adaptation, in addition to high
toxicity and long duration.
There is a risk that this shorter regimen is not as efficacious in this context with high second line
drug usage and resistance rates; however the limited data available show that even in patients
with ofloxacin resistance the regimen still has acceptable, albeit lower success rates, and
relapse-free rates from over 200 patients are very low. This risk will be managed by interim
monitoring of time to culture conversion and clinical response with overview by the data safety
review team. In addition, one should not lose sight of the far from ideal outcomes of the
current standard of care regimen with known high death, failure and loss to follow up rates. In
discussion with international external experts, WHO Europe region and experts from MSF and
MoH Uzbekistan it has been decided to exclude patients with ofloxacin resistance from this
pilot despite reported rates of over 70% success in this group treated in Bangladesh due to the
very small numbers of patients and also the high rates of other first and second line drug
resistance (Z,E, Pto, high level isoniazid, Km) in Uzbekistan.
Study participants will be required to undergo 2 additional visits after treatment completion in
order to determine relapse-free survival time, however in total this will be less than the total
visits and similar duration of follow up if the patient underwent standard of care in the current
programme.
The individual patients who participate in the study may have substantial benefit with a greatly
reduced MDR TB treatment duration with likely less chance of severe adverse events. The
improved tolerability and shorter treatment time are presumed to lead to decreased defaulter
rates, which under the current standard of care treatment in the MSF/MoH programme have
consistently been 20% or higher despite increased attention and programme measures to
improve patient support and adherence.
This study also has the potential to improve treatment for the community which faces a high
burden of MDR TB. The potential for policy change within Uzbekistan and other countries in the
region is high if the results from this study and other accumulating evidence from other cohorts
support the early current available evidence. There is also the potential to reduce programme
treatment costs and therefore increase access to treatment for patients not able to be treated
due to the cost of the current regimen which prevents adequate scale up of treatment in order
to meet the overwhelming needs. The early engagement of the NTP at the concept stage, will
help ensure that the MoH will review the results with a view to changing national protocol if
the results are positive.
4. Confidentiality
All staff working at each clinical site will be trained in the importance of patient confidentiality.
Patient names will be recorded in the clinical forms for the purpose of the clinical follow up.
Patients will be identified by a unique ID number from the outset of the study and this ID
number will be used for all study databases and reports.
5. Advocacy and Community Involvement
5.1 Advocacy
Meeting with the authorities and important stakeholders to provide information about the
study that is going to be launched in the specified rayons.
Deputy of Chairman of Supreme Councils of Karakalpakstan, Director/Deputy Director of TB
Institute, Tashkent ,MoH Chief TB Doctor Tashkent, Minister of Health/deputy Minister of
Health, Director of DOTS center, MoH Chief TB Doctor, MoH Chief TB Paediatrician, Rayon Chief
Doctors, MoH Rayon Supervisors, Rayon TB Doctors, SVP Doctors, TB nurses.
The above mentioned authorities have been involved in the preparatory discussions for this
project and will be informed of the launching of the study either through letter or through a
launch announcement ceremony.
5.2 Community Involvement
The duration of current treatment and the side effects are common complaints from patients
within the treatment programme, and this pilot study represents a collaborative effort from
MSF and MoH to try to respond safely to patient concerns. The rationale for the pilot project
will be presented to community members including current and past MDR TB patients by MSF
counsellors.
Key community stakeholders and influential members of the local community are the Hakim of
the Rayon and the deputy of the Hakim on social issues, and community leaders of each village
in the Rayon. It will be important that before the project is launched in the selected rayons,
meeting sessions will be arranged with these people and they will be briefed by the Pilot
Project Coordinator and Chief Doctor of the Rayon. It will be emphasized that this is a
collaborative MSF/MoH effort. The importance of this pilot project will be shared along with
future benefits and risks involved and their continuous support will be requested. Ongoing
informal discussions with people who have previously or are currently undergoing TB in the
project have been occurring and will continue to occur throughout the project.
Dissemination of a summary of the results in Karakalpak after completion of the study will
occur through clinic sites. Final dissemination of results will be shared with study participants
and patients with TB and other important community members
BUDGET
The majority of costs of implementation of the project will be covered by the available funding
of the project. All drugs required for implementation of the protocol are already present in the
mission, and extra quantity of certain drugs has been ordered. There are very few additional
expenses related to the study that differ from the current program implementation are detailed
in the table below. During the study period, MSF OCA will provide all the required resources
(diagnostic tests, TB drugs and additional human resources) which will be required in addition
to the ongoing services. Note that there may actually be some cost savings for patients treated
with a shorter regimen, but we have not included that as part of the budget calculation. The
listed extra budget is available and will be provided by MSF.
Nº
1
Type of expense
Second line drugs
Quantity
130
Cost
1000 USD per treatment
Total Euro
130,000
2
3
4
Presentation study results to
health authorities
Additional staff – additional
pilot project nurse in each
district
Dissemination
results
in
international conference and
journal
Expected total budget/site
1
3000 USD
3000
2
25,000
50,000
1
3000 USD
3000
186,000
REVISED TIMELINE
 Oct 2012 – Jan 2012: Development of the study protocol.
 Jan 2013: Submission to ethical committees (MSF and Uzbekistan).
 September 2013: Commence patient inclusion until sample size achieved.
 May 2014: Anticipated enrolment of first Nukus City patient
 December 2014 – Feb 2015: Anticipated final enrolment for 9 month project
 January-March 2016: end of 12 months follow up after treatment completion of last patient
included.
 Jan-April 2016: data analysis.
 Mid 2016: dissemination of results in Uzbekistan and publication.
DISSEMINATION OF STUDY RESULTS
The preliminary results of this research will be presented as soon as possible in Uzbekistan and
be used to discuss with key stakeholders how to further improve MDR TB treatment and
management. The preliminary and final results of the research will be presented, shared and
discussed with the MSF international TB working group. The results will be published in a peerreviewed journal, preferably open access, to allow the widest possible access and benefit to
health practitioners internationally.
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