TB kills 2 million people every year. Multidrug resistant TB is a major threat to TB control worldwide. Our overall goal is to achieve better treatment outcomes in pulmonary tuberculosis through simple and cost-effective interventions. Nutritional supplements for TB such as L-arginine and vitamin D can be given as oral tablets in combination with standard antibiotic treatment.

A randomised controlled trial of adjunctive L-arginine or vitamin D in patients with pulmonary TB will determine if these key nutritional supplements can improve the clearance of TB bacteria from sputum and make people feel better more quickly.

Killing TB bacteria more quickly may allow us to shorten the duration of treatment of TB, which currently involves a 6 month course of antibiotics. The potential public health benefit is: reduced infectivity, shorter treatment times, earlier return to work, and a reduction in residual lung damage. This trial addresses two key WHO-TDR research priorities in this disease of global importance which has the potential to change policy and practice in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.