PCP Prophylaxis in Patients Who Cannot Tolerate Bactrim

For patients who cannot tolerate trimethoprim or sulfonamides, dapsone and atovaquone offer equivalent protection against PCP.

Trimethroprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is the treatment of choice for prophylaxis against P. carinii pneumonia (PCP). However, intolerance to TMP/SMX is common, typically because of allergy. Although the efficacy of dapsone against PCP has been established, it is less effective than TMP/SMX when used prophylactically and is associated with a high rate of intolerance. Atovaquone is an agent that has proved effective in treating mild to moderate cases of PCP. However, until now there have been no large trials to establish its efficacy as a prophylaxis against PCP.

In this study, researchers conducted an open-label, ra…