Effectiveness and Safety of Recombinant Interferon Gamma in the Treatment of Drug-Resistant Respiratory Tuberculosis

The objective: to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of recombinant interferon gamma in the combination therapy of drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.

Subjects and Methods. 84 patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis were enrolled in the study, who were randomized equally into two groups: Main Group (MG) and Control Group (CG). In both groups, patients received anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy in accordance with the individual drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Patients in MG additionally received recombinant interferon gamma (rIFN-γ) (intramuscularly, 500,000 IU once a day daily for 3 months). The patients were followed up for 6 months.

Results. During treatment in the patients from both groups, clinical manifestations of tuberculosis decreased, but in MG this occurred faster. In MG, sputum conversion was reported on average after 18.6 days of treatment (by smear) and 16.8 days (by culture) versus 28.8 days and 25.5 days, respectively, in the CG (p0.05). A total of 87 AEs were reported: in 48 patients in MG and in 39 patients in CG. The majority of patients developed 1-2 AEs. The most common AEs were abnormal laboratory rates. In all patents from MG, the tolerability of rIFN-γ was assessed as excellent. The study revealed that rIFN-γ as a 3-month course in addition to anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy could shorten the treatment time and improve effectiveness of treatment in patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis. 

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