Treatment Products
Tuberculosis treatment, today, has to involve three or four different types of antibiotics given in combination over six to nine months. Multiple medicines are necessary to prevent the emergence of resistance, which would lead to treatment failure.
The "essential top four" medicines for the treatment of Tuberculosis are Isoniazid*, Rifampicin*, Pyrazinamide* and Ethambutol*.
Isoniazid* is thought to disrupt the formation of bacterial cell walls. The antibiotic Rifampicin* affects the production of essential proteins and blocks bacterial reproduction. Pyrazinamide* can kill or stops the growth of the Tuberculosis bacteria. Ethambutol* is a bacteriostatic agent which inhibits the synthesis of one or more essential metabolites, impairing cell multiplication, and causing cell death.
Treatment with multiple medications makes it more likely that all Tuberculosis-causing bacteria will be killed. Combination therapies involving three and two medicines have been shown to be effective in certain cases.
A three-tablet combination treatment comprising Rifampicin, Isoniazid, and Pyrazinamide has been beneficial, and also a two-tablet combination treatment comprising Rifampicin and Isoniazid (dose levels of Rifampicin can be varied).
Specifically in South Africa, a combination of four anti-tuberculosis drugs in a single tablet (Rifampicin + Isoniazid + Ethambutol + Pyrimethamine) has been made available. This combination leads to better patient compliance.
Signs and symptoms of active tuberculosis include fatigue, slight fever, chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, unintended weight loss, a cough that lasts three or more weeks producing discoloured or bloody sputum, and pain with coughing or breathing.
If any of the signs or symptoms listed above develops, seek medical advice.
* Key suppliers of Tuberculosis treatment products include:
- Isoniazid - Glaxo
- Rifampicin - Sanofi-Aventis
- Pyrazinamide - Genus Pharmaceuticals (From Q3 2008)
- Ethambutol - Genus Pharmaceuticals