Is there a high rate of sudden death after taking Bedaquiline tablets?

Bedaquiline tablets (Bedaquiline) is a drug used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Its use is indeed associated with some heart-related adverse events, but clinical studies and surveillance data show that the risk of sudden death is not higher with bedaquiline compared with other treatment options. More detailed information is provided below so you can understand this issue.

1.Adverse cardiac events: During the use of bedaquiline tablets, some reports of adverse cardiac events have caused concern. These events include irregular heartbeats, angina, and cardiac arrest. The most serious of these is cardiac arrest, but it occurs very rarely.

2.Clinical trial data: Large-scale clinical trials were conducted before and after the marketing of bedaquiline tablets to evaluate its efficacy and safety. These include studies assessing cardiac safety. Although adverse cardiac events were indeed observed in these trials, the overall incidence was relatively low and did not demonstrate a significant increased risk of sudden death.

3.Monitoring and warnings: In order to better monitor and evaluate the safety of bedaquiline tablets, many countries have established surveillance systems to collect data on adverse cardiac events during the use of bedaquiline tablets. In addition, the drug's packaging and inserts include warnings about heart risks.

4.Clinical Guidelines and Monitoring Recommendations: To reduce the potential risk of adverse cardiac events, a number of clinical guidelines and recommendations provide specific guidance for the use of bedaquiline tablets. This includes assessing the patient's heart health, monitoring changes in electrocardiograms and heart enzymes, and performing regular heart function tests.

Bedaquiline tablets have been launched in China and have been included in Class B medical insurance. Patients can buy it domestically, but the price is very high. The price of 100mg*24tablets is around 15,000 yuan. For specific prices, please consult the local hospital pharmacy. There are only original drugs abroad, and the more cost-effective ones are Russian original drugs. The price of 100mg*188 tablets is also about 15,000 yuan. The specifications are about 8 times that of domestic ones. Relatively speaking, the price is still very cheap compared to domestic ones. And the ingredients of domestic and foreign original drugs are consistent.