Effectiveness and Pharmacokinetic Exposures of First-Line Drugs Used to Treat Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Optimal doses of first-line drugs for treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis in children and young adolescents remain uncertain. We aimed to determine whether children treated using World Health Organization–recommended or higher doses of first-line drugs achieve successful outcomes and sufficient pharmacokinetic (PK) exposures. METHODS: Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles were screened. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and trial registries from 2010 to 2021. We included studies in children aged <18 years being treated for drug-susceptible tuberculosis with rifampicin (RIF), pyrazinamide, isoniazid, and ethambutol. Outcomes were treatment success rates and drug exposures. The protocol for the systematic review was preregistered in PROSPERO (no. CRD42021274222). RESULTS: Of 304 studies identified, 46 were eligible for full-text review, and 12 and 18 articles were included for the efficacy and PK analyses, respectively. Of 1830 children included in the efficacy analysis, 82% had favorable outcomes (range, 25%–95%). At World Health Organization–recommended doses, exposures to RIF, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol were lower in children than in adults. Children ≤6 years old have 35% lower areas under the concentration-time curve (AUCs) than older children (mean of 14.4 [95% CI 9.9–18.8] vs 22.0 [13.8–30.1] μg·h/mL) and children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) had 35% lower RIF AUCs than HIV-negative children (17.3 [11.4–23.2] vs 26.5 [21.3–31.7] μg·h/mL). Heterogeneity and small sample sizes were major limitations. CONCLUSIONS: There is large variability in outcomes, with an average of 82% favorable outcomes. Drug exposures are lower in children than in adults. Younger children and/or those with HIV are underexposed to RIF. Standardization of PK pediatric studies and individual patient data analysis with safety assessment are needed to inform optimal dosing.