A 4-month rifampin regimen was found to be cheaper than a 9-month course of isoniazid for the treatment of latent tuberculosis in a cost-comparison study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Currently, isoniazid is the standard of treatment in most countries for latent tuberculosis infection. The finding that 4 months rifampin treatment is cheaper adds to previously published evidence that this treatment is as effective, while also significantly safer and more likely to be completed, than 6 months or 9 months isoniazid treatment. These findings have the potential to change the way latent tuberculosis is treated.
An estimated one quarter of the global population has latent tuberculosis infection. If left untreated, 10 percent of these 1.7 billion people will develop tuberculosis disease. Latent tuberculosis infection treatment is not new. Monotherapy with isoniazid for 6 to 12 months has been long proven to reduce the risk for developing active tuberculosis by up to 90 percent. The long treatment duration and the fear of serious, even fatal adverse events have limited acceptance and completion.
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