Rifapentine Prevents Development of Leprosy

Rifampin reduces the incidence of leprosy among close contacts of patients with leprosy, but its efficacy wanes after 2 years and its benefits are seen in neighbors and social contacts rather than household contacts. In animal models, rifapentine is more potent than rifampin at killing Mycobacterium leprae. Now, investigators report the results of a cluster-randomized trial to assess whether rifapentine prevents leprosy among household contacts of patients with leprosy.

A total of 207 clusters (counties or regions in Southwest China) comprising 7450 household contacts received a single oral dose of rifapentine, a single oral dose of rifampin, or no intervention (controls). Throughout 4 years of follow-up, cumulative incidence of leprosy was …