title: Tuberculosis treatment and drug regimens.
abstract: Tuberculosis is an airborne infectious disease treated with combination therapeutic regimens. Adherence to long-term antituberculosis therapy is crucial for maintaining adequate blood drug level. The emergence and spread of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are mainly favored by the inadequate medical management of the patients. The therapeutic approach for drug-resistant tuberculosis is cumbersome, because of the poor, expensive, less-effective, and toxic alternatives to the first-line drugs. New antituberculosis drugs (bedaquiline and delamanid) have been recently approved by the health authorities, but they cannot represent the definitive solution to the clinical management of drug-resistant tuberculosis forms, particularly in intermediate economy settings where the prevalence of drug resistance is high (China, India, and former Soviet Union countries). New research and development activities are urgently needed. Public health policies are required to preserve the new and old therapeutic options.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Research, Medical Education and Professional Development Unit, AOU Sassari 07100, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sotgiu
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Fondazione S. Maugeri, Care and Research Institute, Tradate 21049, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Centis
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Fondazione S. Maugeri, Care and Research Institute, Tradate 21049, Italy.
authors.forename: Lia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'ambrosio
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Fondazione S. Maugeri, Care and Research Institute, Tradate 21049, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Migliori
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002681:China; D064687:Diarylquinolines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014586:USSR
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D064687:Diarylquinolines; D009593:Nitroimidazoles; C516022:OPC-67683; D010080:Oxazoles; C493870:bedaquiline