A study, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, found that the duration of protection provided by antibiotics that prevent TB infection from developing into active TB disease differs based on countries’ TB disease prevalence.
The study found that the TB preventive treatment (TPT) offered strong protection during the first 12-24 months across settings with all levels of TB burden. In medium- and low-burden settings, this protection lasted for at least 8 and 13 years, respectively, and there was no significant difference in long-term TB disease risk between people who did and did not complete the full course of medication.
However, in high-burden settings, the initial protection achieved from TPT began waning after just one year of taking the medication. Officials in high-burden countries should consider providing this treatment with other protective interventions to achieve the global target of eliminating almost all new TB infections and deaths by 2035.
Read the full news release here.For more TB updates, check out the TB CAB Weekly Newsletter (Issue #24, 20 September 2026).
The newsletter is brought to you by the Global TB Community Advisory Board (TB CAB) with the support of Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG). Subscribe to the newsletter here.
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