Brief Rifapentine-Isoniazid Evaluation for TB Prevention (BRIEF TB)

HIV-infected people have an increased risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB). At the time the study was designed, the standard course of treatment for TB was 6 to 9 months of isoniazid (INH).This study compared the safety and effectiveness of a 4-week regimen of rifapentine (RPT) plus INH versus a standard 9-month regimen of INH in HIV-infected people who are at risk of developing active TB.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2017 there were 10 million new cases of TB, and 1.6 million people died as a result of TB. Among new TB cases, it is estimated that 920,000 occurred in people who were HIV-coinfected, and 23% of TB deaths were among HIV-coinfected individuals. In Africa, TB is the leading AIDS-related opportunistic infection. Latent TB infection occurs when people are infected with the bacteria that cause TB, but they do not have any symptoms of TB infection. Latent TB can develop into active TB, and HIV-infected people have an increased risk of progressing from latent TB to active TB. INH is a medication that is prescribed for people with latent TB to help prevent active TB from developing. The standard INH treatment regimen is 6 to 9 months; a shorter treatment regimen of 3 months of once-weekly RPT plus INH has proven to be as effective and improved adherence. The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of a 4-week daily regimen of RPT plus INH to a standard 9-month daily INH regimen for TB prevention in HIV-infected individuals.

This study enrolled HIV-infected people who did not have evidence of active TB but who were at high risk of developing active TB. Participants were randomly assigned to receive RPT and INH once a day for 4 weeks or INH once a day for 9 months. All participants received pyridoxine (vitamin B6) with each dose of INH to help prevent possible side effects. Study visits occurred at baseline and Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 36. At select study visits, participants had a physical exam, clinical assessment, blood collection, and a chest radiograph or chest computed tomography (CT) scan (if needed). Some participants had their blood stored for future testing. Follow-up study visits occurred every 12 weeks starting at Week 48 and continued for 3 years after the last participant enrolled.