01680nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653001500059653001000074653001600084653001200100653003300112653003000145653001100175653001100186653001200197653000900209653001600218653001300234100001500247700001400262700001400276245006800290300001000358490000700368050003200375520094500407022001401352       1992                            d  c1992 Oct-Dec10aAdolescent10aAdult10aClofazimine10aDapsone10aDrug Administration Schedule10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aRifampin1 aJadhav V H1 aPatki A H1 aMehta J M00aComparison of two multidrug regimens in multibacillary leprosy.  a501-40 v64  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>One of the technical problems relating to the multidrug therapy of leprosy is the slow decrease in the bacteriological index (BI) in multibacillary patients. In this study we have compared a regimen containing rifampicin given daily for 9 months with the standard WHO multidrug regimen for multibacillary leprosy. We have found, at the end of two years, a significantly greater fall of BI in patients who had received the regimen containing daily rifampicin as compared to those who had received pulsed doses of rifampicin. The doses of dapsone and clofazimine were similar in these two groups. It appears that daily administration of rifampicin may be useful in treating multibacillary patients in whom reduction in the BI is slower than expected. However, in view of its high cost and the very much increased incidence of type-2 lepra reactions and hepatitis, daily rifampicin therapy cannot be recommended for a control programme.</p>  a0254-9395