13 Mar Ultrashort TB Therapy Found Just As Effective as 6 Month Course
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Swindells
Susan Swindells MBBS
Professor and Medical Director, HIV Clinic
Department of Internal Medicine
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: More than one quarter of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis (TB), and there is effective treatment for this but only a small fraction of those eligible actually receive it. TB is the leading cause of death for people with HIV infection, globally. One of the major problems with currently available treatments for TB infection is that they take too long, and people just stop taking them after a while. We identified an ultra-short course of treatment (only one month) and tested it against the conventional 6-month course of treatment.
Our main findings were that the new short course was just as effective as the standard 6 month course, more patients taking the short course completed their treatment, and had less adverse effects.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Readers should take away the fact that tuberculosis is still an enormous problem globally, and often ignored. Treatment for latent infection works well but not enough people have access to it, and many of those who have access do not complete the whole course. This new ultrashort course of therapy is much more likely to be completed.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: Our study was only in adults and adolescents with HIV infection, so we would recommend study in people without HIV, in children and also in pregnant women to make sure it also works for these populations.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: No disclosures from either of us. Sanofi donated the study medications but we designed and conducted the study, with support from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group.
Citation:
One Month of Rifapentine plus Isoniazid to Prevent HIV-Related Tuberculosis
Susan Swindells, M.B., B.S., Ritesh Ramchandani, Ph.D., Amita Gupta, M.D., Constance A. Benson, M.D., Jorge Leon-Cruz, M.S., Noluthando Mwelase, M.B., Ch.B., Marc A. Jean Juste, M.D., Javier R. Lama, M.D., M.P.H., Javier Valencia, M.D., Ayotunde Omoz-Oarhe, M.D., Khuanchai Supparatpinyo, M.D., Gaerolwe Masheto, M.D., et al.,
for the BRIEF TB/A5279 Study Team*
March 14, 2019
N Engl J Med 2019; 380:1001-1011
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1806808
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Last Updated on March 13, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD