Short-course Regimens for the Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Phase 2C Clinical Trial of Novel, Short-course Regimens for the Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: CRUSH-TB (Combination Regimens for Shortening TB Treatment)

Hypotheses:

• The time to sputum culture negative in liquid media will be shorter in the 17-week regimen of 2 months of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M), pyrazinamide (Z), (BMZ) plus rifabutin (Rb) followed by 2 months of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M) and Rifabutin (Rb) (2BMZRb/2 BMRb, Arm 1) than in the control arm.
• The time to sputum culture negative in liquid media will be shorter in the 17-week regimen of 2 months of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M), pyrazinamide (Z); (BMZ) plus delamanid (D or DLM) followed by 2 months of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M) and delamanid (D or DLM) (2 BMZD/2 BMD, Arm 2) than in the control arm.

Phase: 3 Design: Open label, randomized clinical trial, initially in three treatment groups, with adaptive design allowing for introduction of novel regimens once they are clinically ready for testing Population: newly diagnosed with sputum smear positive or GeneXpert positive pulmonary tuberculosis, aged 12 years or older, with normal QTcF (QTc interval, Fridericia calculation) on screening ECG.

Number of Sites: 13 National and International sites, primarily sites of the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium Group. Study Duration: Duration per participant is approximately 78 weeks Description of Agent or Intervention: After written informed consent, participants will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive BMZRb, BMZD, or HRZE (Control treatment) as below

Arm 1(investigational regimen): 2 BMZRb/2 BMRb

• Eight weeks of daily treatment with bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M), pyrazinamide (Z), plus rifabutin (Rb), followed by
• Nine weeks of daily treatment with bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M) and Rifabutin (Rb)

Arm 2 (investigational regimen): 2 BMZD/2 BMD

• Eight weeks of daily treatment with bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M), pyrazinamide (Z), plus delamanid (D or DLM) followed by
• Nine weeks of daily treatment with bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M) and delamanid (D or DLM)

Arm 3 (Control regimen): 2 RHZE/4 RH

• Eight weeks of daily treatment with rifampin (R), isoniazid (H), pyrazinamide (Z), and ethambutol (E), (RHZE) followed by
• Eighteen weeks of daily treatment with rifampin and isoniazid (RH)

Objectives

Primary Objectives:

• To compare the efficacy of 17-week regimen 8 weeks of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M), pyrazinamide (Z), (BMZ) plus rifabutin (Rb) followed by 9 weeks of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M) and rifabutin (Rb) (2 BMZRb/2 BMRb) experimental regimen to the efficacy of standard treatment, using the intermediate endpoint of time to culture negative in liquid media.
• To compare the efficacy of 17-week regimen 8 weeks of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M), pyrazinamide (Z), (BMZ) plus delamanid (D or DLM) followed by 9 weeks of bedaquiline (B or BDQ), moxifloxacin (M) and delamanid (D or DLM) (2 BMZD/2 BMD) experimental regimen to the efficacy of standard treatment, using the intermediate endpoint of time to culture negative in liquid media.

Secondary Objectives:

• To compare the proportion of participants with a grade 3 or higher adverse event in each experimental arm with the control arm
• To describe the proportion of participants experiencing lack of sustained cure during treatment or follow-up to 52 weeks in each experimental arm as compared to control and make predictions as to how these regimens would perform in future phase III trials.
• To compare the efficacy of each experimental regimen to the efficacy of standard treatment, using the intermediate endpoint of time to culture negative in solid media
• To compare the proportion of participants in each arm who convert liquid and solid sputum cultures to negative by (a) 8 weeks of treatment and (b) 12 weeks of treatment
• To describe the rate of all-cause study drug discontinuation in each arm
• To compare time to sputum culture positivity curves through 17 weeks in the Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (Bactec MGIT960) across arms
• To describe the proportion of participants experiencing lack of sustained cure during treatment or follow-up up to 78 weeks in each experimental arm as compared to control and make predictions as to how these regimens would perform in future phase III trials.
• To describe the population PK of bedaquiline and its M2 metabolite, with or without rifabutin co-administration (PK#1)
• To conduct pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics study of the test drugs to determine relationships between pharmacokinetic parameters (AUC, Cmax) and outcome measures (time to culture negativity or rate of change in TTP) using non-linear mixed effects models, adjusting for key covariates that may affect outcomes (e.g. companion drugs, HIV status, cavitary disease) (PK#2)

Primary Endpoints:

• Time to sputum culture negative in liquid media

Secondary Endpoints:

• Proportion of participants with a Grade 3 or higher adverse event during 26 weeks from randomization
• Lack of sustained cure during treatment or follow-up to 52 weeks
• Time to sputum culture negative in solid media
• Proportion of participants with sputum culture negative by 8 weeks and by 12 weeks (solid and liquid media).
• All-cause study drug discontinuation
• The rate of change in time to sputum culture positivity (TTP) through 17 weeks in the Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (Bactec MGIT960)
• Lack of sustained cure during treatment or follow-up to 78 weeks
• Population pharmacokinetics (PK) of bedaquiline, with or without rifabutin Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship between test drug PK parameters and microbiologic outcomes

Inclusion criteria

• Pulmonary tuberculosis with or without suspected or proven concomitant extrapulmonary tuberculosis outside the central nervous system or bones
• Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) seen in an expectorated sputum specimen at least 1+ or positive GeneXpert (or GeneXpert Ultra) for M. tuberculosis, with semiquantitative results of "medium" or "high".
• Age ≥12 years
• Documentation of negative HIV status within the past 3 months prior to enrollment or documentation confirming HIV infection.
• For participants with HIV:

• current use of dolutegravir-based ART (Anti Retroviral Therapy), or ability and willingness to start or transition to a dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy regimen
• CD4 T cell count greater than or equal to 100 cells/mm3 based on testing performed at or within 30 days prior to study enrollment
• Written informed consent/assent
• Karnofsky score of at least 60 ("requiring some help, can take care of most personal requirements")
• A verifiable address or residence location that is readily accessible for visiting, and willingness to inform the study team of any change of address during the treatment and follow-up period.
• For all women who have not undergone a surgical sterilization procedure or who do not meet the study definition of post-menopausal, a negative pregnancy test at or within seven (7) days prior to screening
• For all individuals of child-bearing potential who are not surgically sterilized, agreement to practice a reliable method of contraception (barrier method or non-hormonal intrauterine device) or abstain from sexual activity that could lead to pregnancy while receiving study drug treatment and for 30 days after stopping study treatment

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant or breast-feeding
• More than 5 days of tuberculosis treatment in the previous 6 months
• Previous treatment with any drug or combination of drugs known to have activity against M. tuberculosis (e.g., isoniazid, rifamycins, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, fluoroquinolones, etc.) for more than five days in the thirty days prior to enrollment
• Unable to take oral medications
• Hypersensitivity or previous intolerance to any of the study drugs
• Current or planned use of medications that have unacceptable drug-drug interactions with any of the study drugs during study treatment
• Suspected or proven central nervous system tuberculosis
• Suspected or proven bone tuberculosis
• Screening ECG with QTcF >450 for men or >470 for women (Note: in case of hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia, ECG can be repeated following electrolyte supplementation)
• Clinically significant ECG abnormality in the opinion of the site investigator, including but not limited to second or third degree atrioventricular (AV) block, prolongation of the QRS complex over 120 ms (in both male and female participants), or clinically important arrhythmia
• Current clinically relevant cardiovascular disorder in the opinion of the site investigator, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, or tachyarrhythmia
• Known family history of Long QT Syndrome in a first-degree relative (i.e., parent, offspring, or sibling)
• History of aortic aneurysm or dissection
• Hepatic cirrhosis or other serious liver disease
• Other medical conditions, that, in the investigator's judgment, make study participation not in the individual's best interest.
• Laboratory parameters done at or within 14 days prior to screening:

• Serum or plasma alanine aminotransferase greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal
• Serum or plasma total bilirubin greater than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal
• Serum creatinine > 2 times the upper limit of normal
• Platelet count < 75,000 cells/mm3
• Absolute neutrophil count <1,000 cells/mm3
• Serum or plasma potassium <3.5 meq/L (note: potassium may be repleted and test repeated)
• Weight less than 40.0 kg
• Known or suspected resistance to isoniazid or rifamycins (by phenotypic or molecular test)
• Previously enrolled in this study or currently enrolled in another therapeutic clinical trial that, in the investigator's judgment, would compromise study integrity or participant safety
• Current or planned incarceration or other involuntary detention.