# Causal inference for the treatment and management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

> **NIH NIH F31** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2021 · $30,002

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Approximately 10 million people globally developed tuberculosis disease in 2018. Of these, nearly 500,000 were
sick with isolates resistant to at least isoniazid and/or rifampin, referred to as multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
Conventional treatment for MDR-TB is long, difficult, and toxic. Regulatory approval of two new TB drugs,
bedaquiline and delamanid, for the treatment of MDR-TB has offered the potential for more effective and less
toxic regimens. This study will use observational data from the endTB Project. The observational study of the
endTB Project is the largest study cohort of MDR-TB patients receiving treatment with bedaquiline and
delamanid to date. We will implement robust causal inference methods to generate evidence on the effectiveness
and safety of regimens containing bedaquiline and delamanid for the treatment of MDR-TB. We will explore the
following Specific Aims: (1) identify the optimal adverse events management strategy that maximizes safety and
effectiveness for patients receiving linezolid; (2) examine whether the effect of delamanid on successful
treatment outcome when added to an MDR-TB regimen varies according to the number of drugs in the regimen
that are likely to be effective; (3) investigate the magnitude of bias due to time-dependent confounding affected
by previous exposure in analyses of MDR-TB treatment. The results of these Specific Aims will inform clinical
practice, treatment guidance, and future approaches to analyzing MDR-TB treatment cohort data. Causal
inference theory and frameworks will be applied; Robins' generalized methods (“g-methods”), such as inverse
probability of treatment weighting in marginal structural models and the parametric g-formula, will be used in
analyses.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145922
- **Project number:** 1F31AI157333-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Carly Rodriguez
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $30,002
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-12-01 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145922

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145922, Causal inference for the treatment and management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (1F31AI157333-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145922. Licensed CC0.

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