Trial 204 was conducted between May 2008 and June 2010 at 17 study sites in nine countries. In total, 481 patients were randomised as a part of this trial. As previously reported, participating patients were randomised to 2 months of treatment with delamanid 100 mg twice daily plus OBR, delamanid 200 mg twice daily plus OBR, or placebo plus OBR [18]. Treatment in Trial 204 was administered as directly observed therapy (DOT) and patients were hospitalised for the duration of the 2-month treatment period. Safety assessments and sputum cultures were monitored weekly during treatment. Thereafter, all patients were followed on their OBR only for an additional 4 weeks with ongoing weekly assessments of safety and sputum culture status to confirm SCC.
Patients who completed participation in Trial 204 had the option to participate in Trial 208 for an additional 6 months of guaranteed access to treatment with delamanid. Trial 208 was conducted between March 2009 and October 2011 at 14 of the study sites that participated in Trial 204. In total, 213 (44.2%) of the 481 patients from Trial 204 were enrolled in this trial. A gap of at least 4 weeks in delamanid treatment existed between Trial 204 and Trail 208, resulting from the Trial 204 design and the timing of local regulatory and ethics approval of Trial 208; all patients continued with OBR throughout this period. More than half (54.5%) of the patients who participated in Trial 208 were able to resume treatment with delamanid within 2 months of completing Trial 204; however, more than one-third resumed treatment after ≥4 months. Patients initiated treatment as a part of Trial 208 at a dose of delamanid 100 mg twice daily, the lower dose from Trial 204. Investigators, having remained blinded to patients' Trial 204 treatment assignments, had the option to titrate up to delamanid 200 mg twice daily after the first 2 weeks of treatment. Treatment with delamanid and OBR was administered in Trial 208 with DOT. All patients were hospitalised for 2 weeks following the initiation of treatment. Patients who had a dose titration were hospitalised for an additional 2 weeks corresponding to the initiation of treatment with the new dose. Nearly 70% of the trial participants were treated for at least 5 of the 6 months as outpatients. For all patients, OBR continued throughout their full treatment period for MDR-TB regardless of participation in Trial 208. Figure 2 presents the flow of treatment assignments for patients who participated in Trial 204 including the subset of Trial 204 patients who were then enrolled in Trial 208.