Eight months on, States wait for 3HP TB preventive drug

Eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment in March 2023 called the 3HP — once-weekly isoniazid-rifapentine for 12 weeks — States are yet to receive the 3HP combination drug from the Central TB Division. But if active TB disease is not ruled out before starting TB preventive treatment, there is a risk of drug resistance setting in,” says Dr. Padmapriyadarsini. According to the WHO, TB preventive therapy “can halt progression to TB disease very effectively for many years”, thus preventing a large number of people from developing TB disease within two years of infection. In high-burden countries such as India, the chances of reinfection after completing the TB preventive therapy are high, and such reinfection “may reverse this protection”. “TB preventive treatment like 3HP is an important accompaniment to this strategy, to protect TB-free individuals at risk from progressing to disease,” he says.