Tag: Bedaquiline

As the first new drug developed specifically for tuberculosis in over 40 years, bedaquiline represents a significant advancement in treating drug-resistant strains. While most patients are familiar with its oral tablet form, Sirturo, few understand its origin as bedaquiline BDQ drug powder—the critical active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that must first be synthesized and purified before it can be formulated into a medicine. This review explores the nature of this essential raw material and its journey to becoming a potent clinical tool.

As of 2024, approximately half a million people globally are estimated to become ill with multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis annually. This public health crisis has made the development of novel treatments critical, leading to the introduction of BDQ, or bedaquiline, a medication used to combat these stubborn infections.

As the first new tuberculosis drug approved in over 40 years, bedaquiline (BDQ) has a novel mechanism of action that makes it invaluable for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. Understanding **what is the MOA of BDQ?** requires delving into its highly specific inhibition of a vital energy-generating enzyme in mycobacteria, leading to bacterial death.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) each year. BDQ, or bedaquiline, is a groundbreaking medication used as a cornerstone in the treatment of drug-resistant forms of this infectious disease, including multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB).

Bedaquiline, a drug used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, has a terminal half-life of about 5.5 months, making it one of the longest-acting medications known [1.3.1, 1.3.3]. So, which drug has the longest half-life and what does this mean for patients?