Short course treatment for latent TB

Short course treatment for latent TB

Three months of two drugs administered once weekly is as effective as 9 months of daily isoniazid (INH) for the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), according to a new study. An international team of researchers randomized nearly 8000 patients with latent tuberculosis (TB) to 3 months of directly observed once-weekly therapy with rifapentine 900 mg plus INH 900 mg or 9 months of self-administered daily INH 300 mg. The primary endpoint was confirmed TB after 33 months of follow-up. In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, TB developed in 0.19% of the once-weekly combination group and in 0.43% of the INH only group. Rates of completion were much higher with the short course, once-weekly regimen (82.1% in the combination-therapy group and 69.0% in the INH only group, P < 0.001). Rates of hepatotoxicity were higher in the INH only group. The authors conclude that use of rifapentine plus INH given once a week for 3 months is as effective as 9 months of INH in preventing tuberculosis and has a higher treatment-completion rate (N Engl J Med 2011;365:2155-2166). Based on this study and others, the CDC has issued a new recommendation on the use of short-course combination therapy for latent TB infection. The recommendation states, "The new regimen is recommended as an equal alternative to the 9-month INH regimen for otherwise healthy patients ≥ 12 years who have LTBI and factors that are predictive of TB developing (e.g., recent exposure to contagious TB)." It also recommends that the new regimen may be considered for other categories of patients when it offers advantages. Daily INH continues to be the preferred regimen for children between the ages of 2 and 11 (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2011;60:1650-1653).