Drug metabolism and drug interactions: potential application to antituberculosis drugs

Drug-drug interaction is an important element of modern drug development. In the case of antituberculosis drugs, which are frequently administered as combinations of multiple therapeutic agents, the potential for interactions between coadministered drugs and between new and existing drugs should be considered during the development of new antituberculosis drugs and combination regimens. The current understanding of drug-drug interactions involving the first-line antituberculosis drugs is reviewed in this article, along with the approaches that are used to prospectively delineate potential interactions during development of new therapies. In addition, current knowledge gaps are identified, and future directions for enhancing the understanding of drug-drug interactions that will further facilitate the development of novel antituberculosis therapies are discussed.