Abstract:Objective To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of bedaquiline combined with new or conventional drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) for 24 weeks.Methods A total of 205 patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis who received bedaquiline-based treatment at Guangzhou Chest Hospital from March 2019 to June 2024 were included. Demographic data, treatment outcomes, and changes in the Fridericia-corrected QT interval (QTcF) values at multiple time points before and after medication were collected. Adverse reactions during the treatment period were observed.Results (1) Sputum conversion rate: At the end of the second month of treatment, the sputum conversion rate was 89.76%, and at the end of the sixth month, the sputum conversion rate was 98.05%. (2) Safety: Among the 205 cases, bedaquiline was discontinued due to adverse reactions, and the common adverse reactions included gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, blurred vision, and abnormal liver function, most of which were tolerated or improved by symptomatic treatment. (3) Change of QTcF: the median QTcF value before administration was 392.92 ms, which showed a transient prolongation trend at each time point during the treatment period, reaching the highest (422.52 ms) at the 20th week and then stabilizing it. The Friedman test showed that there was a statistically significant difference in QTcF value between different time points (P<0.001). Further Wilcoxon test results showed that the QTcF value was significantly increased at most time points compared with before drug administration, and the QTcF value was relatively stable in the late treatment period. There was no significant difference in the distribution of QTcF values between the seven patients who received bedaquiline and delamanid at each observation time point compared with the patients who received bedaquiline alone (P>0.05). No serious adverse effects were observed during the treatment period.Conclusion Bedaquiline combined with multi-drug therapy regimen can significantly increase the sputum bacterial conversion rate in patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB in a short period of time, and the safety profile is good. To a certain extent, it can lead to QTcF prolongation, but the overall risk is controllable under clinical monitoring. The effect of the combination of delamanid on QTcF prolongation needs to be confirmed in a further sample, multicenter study.