A 30-day benznidazole course matched the standard in chronic Chagas disease; a four-month TB regimen shows a non-inferiority signal; adolescent HIV cascade gaps persist

The edition in brief

TESEO, an open-label phase 2b trial in 450 Bolivian adults with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection, found benznidazole 150 mg once daily for 30 days non-inferior to the standard 60-day regimen for sustained parasitological clearance (94% vs 95%; risk difference -2.0, 97.5% CI -5.41 to 1.45) with fewer drug-related adverse events (37% vs 60%); the authors say phase 3 trials are needed before guidelines change. A phase 2b/c trial in South Africa of 122 adults compared four months of quabodepistat, delamanid and bedaquiline with six months of standard treatment for drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis: culture conversion was 96.0% vs 100%, meeting non-inferiority on an 80% interval with a 12% margin, in a small open-label study. A meta-analysis of 37 studies of adolescents and young adults with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa found a pooled 95-95-95 cascade of 73-84-71. A phase 2b trial of intranasal live attenuated pertussis vaccine BPZE1 in 366 children aged 6 to 17 raised nasal IgA 3.8-fold without interfering with Tdap serum responses. A regulatory item notes an FDA supplement to a generic rifampin application. A pearl on rifampicin drug interactions closes the edition.