From the authors:
We read with interest the comments by M.S. Bolhuis and co-workers on our article discussing the role of linezolid in treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) failures in India [1]. First, we would like to underline that our study was carried out in field conditions in a country with a high burden of MDR-TB cases and limited resources. We thank M.S. Bolhuis and co-workers for the opportunity to discuss the different perspectives of the Indian setting and those of a high-level tertiary hospital in a high-income country (India has one of the best existing TB control programmes).
M.S. Bolhuis and co-workers correctly conclude that only a randomised trial comparing linezolidversusa placebo, in addition to an adequate background regimen using drug susceptibility testing (DST) and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), would provide comprehensive results on …