Tuberculosis preventive therapy: scientific and ethical considerations for trials of ultra-short regimens

IF 36.4 1区 医学 Q1 INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Timothy M Walker, James A Watson, David A J Moore, Mike Frick, Euzebiusz Jamrozik
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Preventive therapy remains key to the elimination of tuberculosis and is typically offered to people with presumptive Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection to prevent active disease. Although the duration of tuberculosis preventive therapy has been reduced substantially over time, it remains long in absolute terms, and uptake remains low. Treatment-shortening trials using non-inferiority designs have so far led to the implementation of effective regimens of 1–4 months’ duration. Such regimens are a substantial improvement on the previous 6–9 months’ duration standard of care but still far too long given potential toxicity and the very low baseline risk of disease for most individuals. The efficacy of even shorter tuberculosis preventive therapy regimens, including ultra-short regimens shorter than 2 weeks’ duration, is yet to be explored, but optimal public health outcomes might be achieved even if the efficacy of such regimens is lower than that of the standard of care. Greater acceptability could lead to higher population uptake, and, potentially, to more cases of tuberculosis avoided. Nonetheless, the optimal duration of ultra-short tuberculosis preventive therapy regimens cannot be explored through classic two-arm non-inferiority trials. Instead, the relationship between different durations and efficacy of tuberculosis preventive therapy will need to be characterised, requiring some participants to be randomly assigned to no (or delayed) therapy in order to characterise the number of tuberculosis cases averted by the shortest options. We argue that such trials are needed to identify the optimal trade-off between efficacy and acceptability and would be ethically acceptable provided there were appropriate risk mitigation measures for participants, including careful monitoring for the development of active disease. In this Personal View, we discuss some of the scientific and ethical considerations around the investigation of ultra-short-course preventive therapy for tuberculosis.
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来源期刊
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Lancet Infectious Diseases 医学-传染病学
CiteScore
60.90
自引率
0.70%
发文量
1064
审稿时长
6-12 weeks
期刊介绍: The Lancet Infectious Diseases was launched in August, 2001, and is a lively monthly journal of original research, review, opinion, and news covering international issues relevant to clinical infectious diseases specialists worldwide.The infectious diseases journal aims to be a world-leading publication, featuring original research that advocates change or sheds light on clinical practices related to infectious diseases. The journal prioritizes articles with the potential to impact clinical practice or influence perspectives. Content covers a wide range of topics, including anti-infective therapy and immunization, bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections, emerging infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, mycobacterial infections, infection control, infectious diseases epidemiology, neglected tropical diseases, and travel medicine. Informative reviews on any subject linked to infectious diseases and human health are also welcomed.
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