Rifampin in Initial Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Results among the first 234 patients of a total of 600 admitted to a Public Health Service cooperative therapy trial to test rifampin in the initial treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis are analyzed in this preliminary report. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment regimens: rifampin-isoniazid; rifampin-isoniazid-ethambutol; or a control regimen of streptomycin-isoniazid-ethambutol. The daily dose of rifampin was 600 mg. The two regimens containing rifampin were equally effective in eliminating tubercle bacilli from the sputum, and both were slightly superior to the control regimen. By 16 weeks, the cultures of approximately 9 per cent of the patients treated with rifampin still yielded tubercle bacilli compared with 13 per cent of those treated with the control regimen. Rifampin was well tolerated by patients and was discontinued because of symptoms of intolerance in only 3 patients. Renal and hepatic functions were monitored at four-week intervals. The only abnormalities observed durin...