From the authors: Assessment of linezolid efficacy and safety in MDR- and XDR-TB: an Indian perspective

The letter by Z.F. Udwadia and coworkers reports interesting data on the Indian experience in the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) with linezolid. The European Respiratory Journal has recently become a forum for discussing potentialities of this drug in the treatment of MDR-/XDR-TB cases by publishing the TBNET (Tuberculosis Network European Trials group) study on 85 cases performed in four European countries (including Belarus in Eastern Europe), the Indian experience presented by Z.F. Udwadia and co-workers from Mumbai, India of 18 cases, and the two case reports of YEW et al. regarding the use of linezolid 800 mg q.d. The aim of the present study is to discuss the key findings of the TBNET and Indian studies and to draw further conclusions, focusing on the available evidence on linezolid safety