Can Intermittent Dosing Optimize Prolonged Linezolid Treatment of Difficult Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis?

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe evaluated treatment with linezolid, dosed at 800 mg once daily for 1 to 4 months as guided by sputum culture status and tolerance and then at 1,200 mg thrice weekly until ≥1 year after culture conversion, in addition to individually optimized regimens among 10 consecutive patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis or fluoroquinolone-resistant multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. All achieved stable cure, with anemia corrected and neuropathy stabilized, ameliorated, or avoided after switching to intermittent dosing. Serum linezolid profiles appeared better optimized.