For the first time in 2020 the new 3HP regimen for prevention of TB will be taken into the TB programs of high TB burden countries with Malawi, Ethiopia and Indonesia among the first, all three supported by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV).
This improved treatment for TB infection is now accessible to a far greater number of people at high risk for the disease. This is a critical, life saving intervention for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and people who are exposed to infectious, airborne TB. These developments were made possible due to the Unitaid-funded IMPAACT4TB-project, implemented by a consortium led by the Aurum Institute. KNCV is the implementer in four of the 12 project countries, joining a group of six countries which are leading the way.
The 3HP treatment is especially relevant for PLHIV. It’s easier to take than previously used treatments, with less side effects and better results and can be used in combination with the latest anti-retroviral treatments.
The goal of the project IMPAACT4TB, – which stand for: Increasing Market and Public health outcomes through scaling up Affordable Access models of short Course preventive therapy for TB – is to reduce TB incidence and deaths among PLHIV and child contacts through sustainable implementation of affordable, quality-assured 3HP.
3HP is a short-course regimen of isoniazid and rifapentine weekly for three months for treatment of LTBI. The outcomes of the project are to: increase the number of PLHIV and child contacts starting treatment with affordable, quality-assured 3HP; and contribute to revising WHO preventive therapy management guidelines based on evidence generated from this project.