Pharmacies successfully manage short-course tuberculosis treatment.

Abstract

A pilot project in New Mexico shows that pharmacists in community practice settings can effectively manage short-course regimens for the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Thirty of 40 patients who started a weekly course of isoniazid and rifapentine therapy under the supervision of a pharmacist completed the full 12-week treatment, according to a report in the February 2020 issue of Preventing Chronic Disease.1 The completion rate was similar to historic rates reported for LTBI patients treated at New Mexico Department of Health offices, according to the report. Lead author Bernadette Jakeman, associate professor at the University of New Mexico (UNM) College of Pharmacy in Albuquerque, said pharmacists in the state have a long tradition of involvement in tuberculosis elimination efforts. New Mexico pharmacists have been authorized since 2011 to prescribe, administer, and read tuberculin skin tests. Jakeman and her UNM colleagues have worked with health department officials to develop pharmacy-based testing programs.