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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 81(2), 2009, pp. 330-334
Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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A Comparative Clinical Trial in Multibacillary Leprosy with Long-Term Relapse Rates of Four Different Multidrug Regimens

Tranquilino T. Fajardo, Laarni Villahermosa, Fe Eleanor F. Pardillo, Rodolfo M. Abalos, Jasmin Burgos, Eduardo Dela Cruz, AND Robert H. Gelber*
Leonard Wood Memorial Center for Leprosy Research, Cebu City, Philippines

As a participant in a multicenter trial, we evaluated the relapse rate in 189 multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients treated with four different regimens and followed-up for as many as 12 years after the initiation of treatment. Treatment regimens included 1 year of WHO MDT (a regimen including dapsone, clofazimine, and rifampin), 2 years of WHO MDT, 1 month of daily rifampin and daily ofloxacin, and 1 year of WHO MDT plus an initial 1 month of daily rifampin and daily ofloxacin. Relapse rates after 9 and 12 years from the initiation of therapy in the three regimens that included WHO MDT were 0–3%, whereas relapses occurred in those treated with the 1-month regimen alone at a significantly greater rate (P < 0.05): 11% at 9 years and 25% at 12 years. Relapses occurred late, beginning at 5 years after the initiation of therapy, and were confined to those patients histopathologically borderline lepromatous and polar lepromatous having a high bacterial burden. Prospects for an alternative effective short-course therapy of leprosy are presented.

Received January 29, 2009. Accepted for publication April 22, 2009.

* Address correspondence to Robert H. Gelber, 220 Scenic Avenue, San Anselmo, CA 94960. E-mail: ikgelber{at}hotmail.com

Authors’ addresses: Tranquilino T. Fajardo, Laarni Villahermosa, Fe Eleanor F. Pardillo, Rodolfo M. Abalos, Jasmin Burgos, and Eduardo Dela Cruz, Leonard Wood Memorial Center for Leprosy Research, Cebu City, Philippines. Robert H. Gelber, 220 Scenic Avenue, San Anselmo, CA 94960, Tel: 415-454-8765, E-mail: ikgelber{at}hotmail.com.






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Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.