Fluoroquinolone preventive therapy deemed beneficial in TB

Health system savings, health benefits with therapy for contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant TB

Gregory J. Fox, M.D., Ph.D., from the Montreal Chest Institute at McGill University, and colleagues examined the potential benefits, risks, and cost-effectiveness of fluoroquinolone therapy to prevent tuberculosis in contacts of individuals with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Using decision analysis, costs and outcomes were estimated for no therapy versus a six-month course of daily fluoroquinolone therapy.

The researchers found that, compared with no therapy, fluoroquinolone therapy was associated with health system savings, reduced incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and lower mortality. Fluoroquinolone therapy of infected contacts would also result in reduced incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis with acquired fluoroquinolone resistance.

"In our model, fluoroquinolone preventive therapy resulted in substantial health system savings and in reduced mortality, incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and incidence of acquired fluoroquinolone resistant disease as well as improved quality of life," the authors write. "Fluoroquinolone therapy remained cost saving with improved outcomes even if the effectiveness of therapy in preventing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis was as low as 10 percent."

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Source: HealthDay News