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CDC approves new TB treatment regimen
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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New guidelines for treating so-called "latent" forms of tuberculosis infection have significantly shortened and simplified the treatment course from nine months to three months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"New guidelines for public health officials and health care workers that are based on the results of three clinical trials are a 'game changer' for tuberculosis treatment in the United States," said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden.
Latent tuberculosis infection is a stage of tuberculosis when a person is infected with mycobacteria but does not yet have symptoms, and therefore cannot be a source of infection and pose a risk of infection to others. However, if the bacteria become active, the person will develop the disease, with the ability to spread the infection.
Some people, including children with weakened immune systems, are more likely to have reactivated TB infections. The CDC notes that many people with latent TB feel well and do not begin the nine-month course of treatment, which typically requires 270 daily doses of the anti-TB drug isoniazid. And those who do begin treatment often do not complete it.
The new regimen simplifies the course to 12 doses of isoniazid per week, along with another anti-TB drug, rifapentine.
This combination of drugs makes it possible to shorten the course of treatment by two-thirds - from nine months to three months to prevent the progression of active tuberculosis.
"If we are going to eliminate TB in the United States, we must ensure that people with latent TB infection are adequately tested and treated to prevent them from infecting others," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's Center for HIV/AIDS.
The number of people with tuberculosis in the United States remains at a record low, with more than 11,000 cases reported in 2010. However, about 4% of the U.S. population (11 million people) are infected with TB.
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