Dooley KE. Long-acting injectables for tuberculosis prophylaxis and treatment: is now the time? Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2018 Aug 1;22(8):833-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5588/ijtld.18.0411.
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a wily and enduring foe, responsible for 1 billion deaths in the last 200 years. With the introduction of antibiotics active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the 1950s, TB disease could finally be cured with multidrug therapy. TB drugs must still be given for months, generally via directly observed therapy, which is intrusive, expensive, and inconvenient. Latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) is present in 25–30% of the human population. While LTBI treatment reduces the risk of TB disease, transmission, and mortality, it is rarely provided; further, the likelihood of completion is low, and inversely proportional to the duration of treatment. Simpler, more patient-friendly treatment strategies are sorely needed.