The introduction of antibiotics for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB)
represented a major advance in the fight against the disease. Drug treatment is
fundamental for controlling TB, promoting the cure of the patients and breaking the
chain of transmission, when the anti-tuberculosis drug regimen is followed completely
and correctly. Currently, the therapy of tuberculosis is performed with first-line antituberculosis
drugs and some second-line drugs. However, the increased incidence of
multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strains, and the association of HIV infection for
tuberculosis patients, increase the problems associated with the currently available
treatment of TB. The development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs with new
mechanisms of action that allows shorter treatments and more effective, less toxic, with
fewer side effects, is urgently required. In this chapter, we describe the current
treatment regimens for tuberculosis, together with a description of the major antituberculosis
drugs, their toxicity properties and pharmacological, still presenting new
substances which are in advanced stages of clinical phase.
Keywords: News drugs, Treatment, Tuberculosis.
