How should patients take bedaquiline and why should it be taken with food?

For Bedaquiline (Bedaquiline) 100 mg tablets, patients should take the entire tablet with water. Eat it with food. For bedaquiline 20 mg tablets, take the whole tablet or divide it into two halves along the functional score line, with each half tablet containing 10 mg. Take with water and with food. Because food can increase the absorption of medicines and help them take effect as quickly as possible. This is because when taking bedaquiline, the drug needs to be taken with food to ensure absorption, and food also promotes the absorption of the drug. At the same time, in order to avoid irritation of the stomach by the drug, the drug should be taken with food, which can reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions such as gastric discomfort and vomiting.

1. Disperse in water and take with drinks or soft foods: For patients who have difficulty swallowing the entire tablet, bedaquiline 20 mg tablets can be taken dispersed in water. To facilitate administration, the water-dispersed mixture may be further mixed with a beverage (eg, water, dairy, apple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, or carbonated beverage) or soft food (eg, yogurt, applesauce, mashed banana, or porridge).

Disperse the tablets in a drinking glass of water (Up to 5 tablets in 5 ml of water). Mix the contents of the cup thoroughly until the tablets are completely dispersed, and then take the contents of the cup immediately with food. To aid administration, the mixture dispersed in water can be further mixed with at least 5 ml of drink or 1 teaspoon of soft food, and the contents of the cup can be administered orally immediately. If the total dosage requires more than 5 tablets, repeat the above preparation steps with the appropriate number of additional tablets until the desired dosage is achieved. Make sure there is no tablet residue in the cup, rinse it down with a drink or add more soft food, and take the contents of the cup by mouth immediately.

2. Crush and mix with soft food: Bedaquiline 20 mg tablets can be crushed and mixed with soft food (such as yogurt, applesauce, banana puree or porridge) immediately before use, and taken orally. Make sure there are no tablets left in the container, add more soft food and take it immediately.

3. Administration via feeding tube: Bedaquiline 20 mg tablets may be administered via feeding tube (8 French or larger dose) by dispersing 5 tablets or less in 50 ml of non-carbonated water and mixing thoroughly. The mixture should be white to almost white, with visible particles expected. Immediately administer the medication through the feeding tube. Repeat with additional tablets until the desired dose is reached. Rinse and rinse with 25 mL of additional water to ensure that no tablets remain in the materials used for preparation or in the feeding tube.

The drug is sold in China under the name of daquiline fumarate tablets and has been included in the scope of medical insurance. The price of a common specification of 100mg*24 tablets per box may be around 10,000 yuan, which is relatively expensive. The Russian version of bedaquiline sold overseas, Specifications100mg*188 tablets, may cost around 15,000 yuan per box (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates), sold domestically and abroadThe pharmaceutical ingredients of bedaquiline are basically the same. Currently, there are no generic bedaquiline drugs produced and marketed overseas. For specific prices and drug information of overseas drugs, please consult Yaode Medical Consultant.