Delamanid for the treatment of pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Out of a handful of new drugs currently in clinical trials for the treatment of tuberculosis, delamanid, a nitro-dihydro-imidazole derivative, has successfully emerged. Delamanid is a novel mycolic acid biosynthesis inhibitor that is equally potent against drug-sensitive as well as drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. One of the strongest points for delamanid is its inability to be metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes, making it a promising candidate to be used in combination therapies for the treatment of tuberculosis and HIV. Additionally, it has successfully completed phase II efficacy trials and has received conditional marketing authorization from the European Medicines Agency.