Intake of TB Drug Along With High Cholesterol Meal Reduces Effect of Treatment

First Posted: Sep 08, 2014 07:09 AM EDT
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A team of researchers has discovered that the timing of food intake during the initial phase of TB treatment might have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the treatment.

The study led by the European Lung Foundation found that consuming food just before the intake of TB drug helps lower the effectiveness of the medicine. They based their finding on the evaluation of 20 patients who were to begin treatment for TB for the first time.

The patients were given the regular course of TB drugs that included isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. Each drug was injected on day one and orally on day two and three, the drugs were taken orally either during fasting or were taken along with a high cholesterol meal.

To investigate this, the researchers collected samples of blood from each participant. They further used an analytical chemistry technique called liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry that was used to separate the sample and provide information on the nature of chemicals present.

Using this technique, the researchers also evaluated the drugs' concentration level and the fraction of the unchanged drug that reaches the circulation.

They again took the blood samples from the same individuals and in the same environment, but only the intake of food was changed.  It was noticed that when the drugs were taken along with a high carb diet, there was a lower concentration of the three drugs in the blood sample as compared to when the drugs were taken while fasting.

The results show that the TB drug becomes less effective if it's taken along with a high carb meal.

Dr Antonia Morita Iswari, lead author from the Universitas Gadjah Mada, said: "As the research was conducted in the same people and the same environment, the only variable was the meals and we therefore know that food can have an impact on the concentration of the drugs in the blood. The findings may have significant implications for clinical practice as we must ensure that patients are taking the drugs in the correct way to be as effective as possible."

The finding was presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress, Munich.

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