NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results from a pharmacokinetics study of rifapentine suggest that the optimal dose of the antituberculosis drug has yet to be determined, according to a report in the June 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The new findings “challenge us to determine the optimum dose of rifapentine in the treatment of tuberculosis,” Dr. Fred M. Gordin, from the VA Medical Center in Washington, DC, notes in a related editorial. “With tuberculosis still globally out of control, it is urgent to undertake studies that allows us to maximize the benefit from those drugs and drug combinations that are available to treat this worldwide plague.”
In the current study, Dr. Marc Wiener, from South Texas Veterans Health Care Systen in San Antonio, and colleagues evaluated the pharmacokinetics of rifapentine at 600 mg, 900 mg and 1200 mg doses during once weekly continuation phase therapy in 35 TB patients. Although current guidelines have only recommended the 600 mg dose, recent reports have suggested that the higher doses may be more effective.
Mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) increased as the dose increased, the authors note. AUC values were lower in men and in white subjects.
Only one patient experienced a serious adverse event -- a rise in a liver enzyme level that required temporary treatment discontinuation. The risk of such events was not associated with rifapentine AUC or peak concentration, the authors note.
Source: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2004;169:1176-1177,1191-1197. [ Google search on this article ]
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