Treatment-Shortening Effect of a Novel Regimen Combining Clofazimine and High-Dose Rifapentine in Pathologically Distinct Mouse Models of Tuberculosis

Abstract

Clofazimine and high-dose rifapentine have each separately been associated with treatment-shortening activity when incorporated into tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. We hypothesized that both modifications, i.e., the addition of clofazimine and the replacement of rifampin with high-dose rifapentine, in the first-line regimen for drug-susceptible TB would significantly shorten the duration of treatment necessary for cure.