bThis study assessed the effects of rifapentine or rifampin on the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of bedaquiline and its M2 metabolite in healthy subjects using a two-period single-sequence design. In period 1, subjects received a single dose of bedaquiline (400 mg), followed by a 28-day washout. In period 2, subjects received either rifapentine (600 mg) or rifampin (600 mg) from day 20 to day 41, as well as a single bedaquiline dose (400 mg) on day 29. The pharmacokinetic profiles of bedaquiline and M2 were compared over 336 h after the administration of bedaquiline alone and in combination with steady-state rifapentine or rifampin. Coadministration of bedaquiline with rifapentine or rifampin resulted in lower bedaquiline exposures. The geometric mean ratios (GMRs) and 90% confidence intervals ( B edaquiline (formerly TMC207 and R207910) is a diarylquinoline antitubercular compound that specifically inhibits ATP synthase in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (1). It was approved by the U.S. FDA as part of combination therapy for the treatment of multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) on 28 December 2012 (2). The U.S. FDA-approved bedaquiline drug label has a black box highlighting an increased risk of death and QT prolongation (3). In vitro, bedaquiline potently inhibits both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates (4, 5) and is also bactericidal against nonreplicating tubercle bacilli (6). In the murine model of tuberculosis, bedaquiline alone showed improved clearance of bacilli over the combination of isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide, while bedaquiline and pyrazinamide in combination revealed a synergistic interaction that accelerated the clearance of bacilli (7). Since rifampin is currently considered one of the most important so-called sterilizing TB drugs, it was critical to further understand whether a bedaquiline-rifamycin combination should be considered for improved therapeutic efficacy.CYP3A4 is the major cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isoenzyme involved in the metabolism of bedaquiline and the formation of its major N-monodesmethyl metabolite, M2, which is 4 to 6 times less active in terms of antimycobacterial potency. In vitro, bedaquiline does not significantly inhibit the activity of the CYP450 enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2C8, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP4A, nor does it induce CYP1A2, or CYP3A4 activities (3). Rifampin and rifapentine are both inducers of a variety of enzymes, including CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2C9, and CYP2D6. Other proteins induced are glucuronyl transferase and p-glycoprotein. The relative ranking of commonly used rifamycins in terms of CYP3A4 enzyme induction potential is rifampin, followed by rifapentine, and finally, rifabutin (8). Given that bedaquiline is metabolized mainly via CYP3A, there is a potential for drug interactions during coadministration of bedaquiline with CYP3A inducers or inhibitors (9). A previous clinical drug interaction study of a single dose of 300 mg of bedaquiline and steady-state 600-mg dosing of rifampin in healthy subjects found that ...