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Objectives: A growing interest in healthcare costs and patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) exists in the context of the increasing importance of health technology assessment in countries with high numbers of the HIV and tuberculosis (TB) patient populations, such as Indonesia. This study aimed to analyze the HRQoL and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of HIV, TB, and TB/HIV coinfected participants in a city in Indonesia with a high prevalence of HIV and TB., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the voluntary counseling and testing and lung clinics of Bekasi City Public Hospital (Indonesia) from January to March 2018. Patients' HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, whereas OOP costs were extracted from a semistructured questionnaire., Results: Of the 460 eligible participants, 82% resided in the city, 48% of them were married, and their median age was 34 years. Less than half were insured, and more than half had no source of income. The median values of health utilities for participants with HIV, TB, and TB/HIV were perceived as potentially high (1.0, 0.9, and 0.8, respectively). The TB/HIV coinfected outpatients had the highest OOP costs (US$94.5), with the largest contribution coming from direct medical OOP expenditures. Taking loans from family members was adopted as a financial strategy to overcome inadequate household incomes and high treatment costs., Conclusion: This study suggests that TB/HIV coinfection potentially lowers HRQoL and increases healthcare costs and the need for economic analysis to underpin cost-effective treatment in such patients., Competing Interests: Author Disclosures Author disclosure forms can be accessed in the Supplemental Material section., (Copyright © 2023 International Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Respiratory tract infection with pneumoviruses (PVs) and paramyxoviruses (PMVs) are increasingly associated with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) in lung transplant recipients (LTRs). Ribavirin may be a treatment option but its effectiveness is unclear, especially with respect to infection severity. We retrospectively analyzed 10 years of PV/PMV infections in LTRs. The main end points were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) at 3 and 6 months postinfection, expressed as a percentage of pre-infection FEV 1 and incidence of new or progressed CLAD 6 months postinfection. A total of 139 infections were included: 88 severe infections (63%) (defined as >10% FEV 1 loss at infection) and 51 mild infections (37%) (≤10% FEV 1 loss). Overall postinfection CLAD incidence was 20%. Associations were estimated on postinfection FEV 1 for ribavirin vs no ribavirin (+13.2% [95% CI: 7.79; 18.67]) and severe vs mild infection (-11.1% [95% CI: -14.76; -7.37]). Factors associated with CLAD incidence at 6 months were ribavirin treatment (odds ratio (OR [95% CI]) 0.24 [0.10; 0.59]), severe infection (OR [95% CI] 4.63 [1.66; 12.88]), and mycophenolate mofetil use (OR [95% CI] 0.38 [0.14; 0.97]). These data provide valuable information about the outcomes of lung transplant recipients with these infections and suggests possible associations of ribavirin use and infection severity with long-term outcomes. Well-designed prospective trials are needed to confirm these findings., (© 2020 The Authors. American Journal of Transplantation published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is challenging due to high treatment failure rate and adverse drug events. This study aimed to develop and validate a simple LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous measurement of five TB drugs in human plasma and to facilitate therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in MDR-TB treatment to increase efficacy and reduce toxicity. Moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, prothionamide, pyrazinamide and ethambutol were prepared in blank plasma from healthy volunteers and extracted using protein precipitation reagent containing trichloroacetic acid. Separation was achieved on an Atlantis T3 column with gradient of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile. Drug concentrations were determined by dynamic multiple reaction monitoring in positive ion mode on a LC-MS/MS system. The method was validated according to the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guideline for bioanalytical method validation. The calibration curves for moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, prothionamide, pyrazinamide and ethambutol were linear, with the correlation coefficient values above 0.993, over a range of 0.1-5, 0.4-40, 0.2-10, 2-100 and 0.2-10 mg/L, respectively. Validation showed the method to be accurate and precise with bias from 6.5% to 18.3% for lower limit of quantification and -5.8% to 14.6% for LOW, medium (MED) and HIGH drug levels, and with coefficient of variations within 11.4% for all levels. Regarding dilution integrity, the bias was within 7.2% and the coefficient of variation was within 14.9%. Matrix effect (95.7%-112.5%) and recovery (91.4%-109.7%) for all drugs could be well compensated by their isotope-labelled internal standards. A benchtop stability test showed that the degradation of prothionamide was over 15% after placement at room temperature for 72 h. Clinical samples (n = 224) from a cohort study were analyzed and all concentrations were within the analytical range. The signal of prothionamide was suppressed in samples with hemolysis which was solved by sample dilution. As the method is robust and sample preparation is simple, it can easily be implemented to facilitate TDM in programmatic MDR-TB treatment., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a tool to personalize and optimize dosing by measuring the drug concentration and subsequently adjusting the dose to reach a target concentration or exposure. The evidence to support TDM is however often ranked as expert opinion. Limitations in study design and sample size have hampered definitive conclusions of the potential added value of TDM., Objectives: We aim to give expert opinion and discuss the main points and limitations of available data from antibiotic TDM trials and emphasize key elements for consideration in design of future clinical studies to quantify the benefits of TDM., Sources: The sources were peer-reviewed publications, guidelines and expert opinions from the field of TDM., Content: This review focuses on key aspects of antimicrobial TDM study design: describing the rationale for a TDM study, assessing the exposure of a drug, assessing susceptibility of pathogens and selecting appropriate clinical endpoints. Moreover we provide guidance on appropriate study design., Implications: This is an overview of different aspects relevant for the conduct of a TDM study. We believe that this paper will help researchers and clinicians to design and conduct high-quality TDM studies., (Copyright © 2020 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is increasingly recommended to ensure the correct drug dose thereby minimizing adverse events and maximizing regimen efficacy. To facilitate implementation in TB programs, a framework for TDM is urgently needed. TDM is only useful for dose optimization if a patient is on an appropriate regimen guided by drug susceptibility testing. TDM using a targeted approach selecting patients with risk factors for suboptimal drug exposure (e.g. diabetes) or not responding to treatment for drugs with a clear concentration-response relationship may provide the best value for money. Semiquantitative point-of-care tests for detection of low or high drug concentration should be implemented at community level while quantitative assays can be performed at regional or central level. Expanding PK/PD research followed by clinical trials including both clinical outcome as well as cost-effectiveness will increase the level of evidence supporting TDM., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) uses drug concentrations, primarily from plasma, to optimize drug dosing. Optimisation of drug dosing may improve treatment outcomes, reduce toxicity and reduce the risk of acquired drug resistance. The aim of this narrative review is to outline and discuss the challenges of developing multi-analyte assays for anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) by reviewing the existing literature in the field. Compared to other analytical methods, LC-MS/MS offers higher sensitivity and selectivity while requiring relatively low sample volumes. Additionally, multi-analyte assays are easier to perform since adequate separation and short run times are possible even when non-selective sample preparation techniques are used. However, challenges still exist, especially when optimizing LC separation techniques for assays that include analytes with differing chemical properties. Here, we have identified seven multi-analyte assays for first-line anti-TB drugs that use various solvents for sample preparation and mobile phase separation. Only two multi-analyte assays for second-line anti-TB drugs were identified (including either nine or 20 analytes), with each using different protein precipitation methods, mobile phases and columns. The 20 analyte assay did not include bedaquiline, delamanid, meropenem or imipenem. For these drugs, other assays with similar methodologies were identified that could be incorporated in the development of a future comprehensive multi-analyte assay. TDM is a powerful methodology for monitoring patient's individual treatments in TB programmes, but its implementation will require different approaches depending on available resources. Since TB is most-prevalent in low- and middle-income countries where resources are scarce, a patient-centred approach using sampling methods other than large volume blood draws, such as dried blood spots or saliva collection, could facilitate its adoption and use. Regardless of the methodology of collection and analysis, it will be critical that laboratory proficiency programmes are in place to ensure adequate quality control. It is our intent that the information contained in this review will contribute to the process of assembling comprehensive multiplexed assays for the dynamic monitoring of anti-TB drug treatment in affected individuals., (© 2018 The Association for Mass Spectrometry: Applications to the Clinical Lab (MSACL). Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Treatment outcomes for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remain poor. We aimed to estimate the association of treatment success and death with the use of individual drugs, and the optimal number and duration of treatment with those drugs in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis., Methods: In this individual patient data meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify potentially eligible observational and experimental studies published between Jan 1, 2009, and April 30, 2016. We also searched reference lists from all systematic reviews of treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis published since 2009. To be eligible, studies had to report original results, with end of treatment outcomes (treatment completion [success], failure, or relapse) in cohorts of at least 25 adults (aged >18 years). We used anonymised individual patient data from eligible studies, provided by study investigators, regarding clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. Using propensity score-matched generalised mixed effects logistic, or linear regression, we calculated adjusted odds ratios and adjusted risk differences for success or death during treatment, for specific drugs currently used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, as well as the number of drugs used and treatment duration., Findings: Of 12 030 patients from 25 countries in 50 studies, 7346 (61%) had treatment success, 1017 (8%) had failure or relapse, and 1729 (14%) died. Compared with failure or relapse, treatment success was positively associated with the use of linezolid (adjusted risk difference 0·15, 95% CI 0·11 to 0·18), levofloxacin (0·15, 0·13 to 0·18), carbapenems (0·14, 0·06 to 0·21), moxifloxacin (0·11, 0·08 to 0·14), bedaquiline (0·10, 0·05 to 0·14), and clofazimine (0·06, 0·01 to 0·10). There was a significant association between reduced mortality and use of linezolid (-0·20, -0·23 to -0·16), levofloxacin (-0·06, -0·09 to -0·04), moxifloxacin (-0·07, -0·10 to -0·04), or bedaquiline (-0·14, -0·19 to -0·10). Compared with regimens without any injectable drug, amikacin provided modest benefits, but kanamycin and capreomycin were associated with worse outcomes. The remaining drugs were associated with slight or no improvements in outcomes. Treatment outcomes were significantly worse for most drugs if they were used despite in-vitro resistance. The optimal number of effective drugs seemed to be five in the initial phase, and four in the continuation phase. In these adjusted analyses, heterogeneity, based on a simulated I 2 method, was high for approximately half the estimates for specific drugs, although relatively low for number of drugs and durations analyses., Interpretation: Although inferences are limited by the observational nature of these data, treatment outcomes were significantly better with use of linezolid, later generation fluoroquinolones, bedaquiline, clofazimine, and carbapenems for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. These findings emphasise the need for trials to ascertain the optimal combination and duration of these drugs for treatment of this condition., Funding: American Thoracic Society, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Respiratory Society, Infectious Diseases Society of America., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)