Levofloxacin pharmacokinetics during pregnancy in rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis

Sharon Sawe recently published an article titled: “The effect of pregnancy on the population pharmacokinetics of levofloxacin in South Africans with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis”, in the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal. 

This study addresses an important evidence gap in the treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) among pregnant women, a group often underrepresented in clinical trials.

Sawe et al. used population pharmacokinetic modelling to assess how pregnancy affects levofloxacin exposure, finding significantly reduced drug levels in pregnant women treated for RR-TB during the third trimester. The findings highlight the need to consider dose adjustments during pregnancy to ensure effective TB treatment.

The full open-access article is available here.