The Azithromycin and Cefixime Treatment of Typhoid in South Asia Trial (ACT-South Asia Trial)

Summary

Typhoid and paratyphoid (enteric) fever affects more than 11 million children and adults globally each year including 7 million in South Asia. Up to 1% of patients who get typhoid may die of the disease and, in those that survive, a prolonged period of ill health and catastrophic financial cost to the family may follow. In the last 20 years, treatment of typhoid fever with a 7-day course of a single oral antimicrobial, such as ciprofloxacin, cefixime or azithromycin, given in an out-patient setting has led to patient recovery in 4 to 6 days without the need for expensive hospitalization. Increasing antimicrobial resistance in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, threatens the effectiveness of these treatments and increases the risk of prolonged illness and severe disease. The recent emergence of a particularly resistant typhoid strain in Pakistan, and subsequent international spread, adds urgency to this problem and Salmonella is now listed as a high (Priority 2) pathogen by world health organisation. Treatment with combinations of antimicrobials may be more effective for treating typhoid fever and mitigate the problems of resistance. This suggestion is based on expert opinion but not backed up by good quality evidence. The ACT-South Asia study aims to compare a combination of azithromycin and cefixime with azithromycin alone in the outpatient treatment of clinically suspected and confirmed uncomplicated typhoid fever. The total recruitment will be 1500 patients across sites in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. A placebo (sugar pill) will be used instead of cefixime in the single drug arm so that neither the patient nor the study team know which patient is receiving which treatment.Investigators will assess whether treatment outcomes are better with the combination after one week of treatment and at one and three month follow-up. Both antimicrobials are widely used and have excellent safety profiles. If the combination treatment is better than the single antibiotic treatment, this will be an important result for patients across South Asia and other typhoid endemic areas. This study will additionally investigate the financial implications for families and health system.

Timeline

Start

2021-05-23

Primary completion

2025-12-31

Completion

2025-12-31

Publications

• Background Butler T, Sridhar CB, Daga MK, Pathak K, Pandit RB, Khakhria R, Potkar CN, Zelasky MT, Johnson RB. Treatment of typhoid fever with azithromycin versus chloramphenicol in a randomized multicentre trial in India. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1999 Aug;44(2):243-50. doi: 10.1093/jac/44.2.243.
• Background Chinh NT, Parry CM, Ly NT, Ha HD, Thong MX, Diep TS, Wain J, White NJ, Farrar JJ. A randomized controlled comparison of azithromycin and ofloxacin for treatment of multidrug-resistant or nalidixic acid-resistant enteric fever. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2000 Jul;44(7):1855-9. doi: 10.1128/AAC.44.7.1855-1859.2000.
• Results Trivedi NA, Shah PC. A meta-analysis comparing the safety and efficacy of azithromycin over the alternate drugs used for treatment of uncomplicated enteric fever. J Postgrad Med. 2012 Apr-Jun;58(2):112-8. doi: 10.4103/0022-3859.97172.
• Results Dolecek C, Tran TP, Nguyen NR, Le TP, Ha V, Phung QT, Doan CD, Nguyen TB, Duong TL, Luong BH, Nguyen TB, Nguyen TA, Pham ND, Mai NL, Phan VB, Vo AH, Nguyen VM, Tran TT, Tran TC, Schultsz C, Dunstan SJ, Stepniewska K, Campbell JI, To SD, Basnyat B, Nguyen VV, Nguyen VS, Nguyen TC, Tran TH, Farrar J. A multi-center randomised controlled trial of gatifloxacin versus azithromycin for the treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever in children and adults in Vietnam. PLoS One. 2008 May 21;3(5):e2188. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002188.
• Results Parry CM, Ho VA, Phuong le T, Bay PV, Lanh MN, Tung le T, Tham NT, Wain J, Hien TT, Farrar JJ. Randomized controlled comparison of ofloxacin, azithromycin, and an ofloxacin-azithromycin combination for treatment of multidrug-resistant and nalidixic acid-resistant typhoid fever. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2007 Mar;51(3):819-25. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00447-06. Epub 2006 Dec 4.
• Results Girgis NI, Butler T, Frenck RW, Sultan Y, Brown FM, Tribble D, Khakhria R. Azithromycin versus ciprofloxacin for treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever in a randomized trial in Egypt that included patients with multidrug resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1999 Jun;43(6):1441-4. doi: 10.1128/AAC.43.6.1441.
• Giri A, Karkey A, Dongol S, Arjyal A, Maharjan A, Veeraraghavan B, Paudyal B, Dolecek C, Gajurel D, Phuong DNT, Thanh DP, Qamar F, Kang G, Hien HV, John J, Lawson K, Wolbers M, Hossain MS, Sharifuzzaman M, Luangasanatip N, Maharjan N, Olliaro P, Rupali P, Shakya R, Shakoor S, Rijal S, Qureshi S, Baker S, Joshi S, Ahmed T, Darton T, Bao TN, Lubell Y, Kestelyn E, Thwaites G, Parry CM, Basnyat B. Azithromycin and cefixime combination versus azithromycin alone for the out-patient treatment of clinically suspected or confirmed uncomplicated typhoid fever in South Asia: a randomised controlled trial protocol. Wellcome Open Res. 2021 Nov 12;6:207. doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16801.2. eCollection 2021.

Drugs

Indications