Pharmacokinetics of thrice-weekly rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide in adult tuberculosis patients in India.

Hemanth Kumar, A.K.; Kannan, T.; Chandrasekaran, V.; Sudha, V.; Vijayakumar, A.; Ramesh, K.; Lavanya, J.; Swaminathan, S.; Ramachandran, G.

International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; 2016; 20; 1236-1241.    

Summary: Objective: To study the pharmacokinetics of rifampicin (RMP), isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA) in adult tuberculosis (TB) patients and examine factors that influence drug pharmacokinetics.

Methods: Adult TB patients (n = 101) receiving thrice-weekly anti-tuberculosis treatment in the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) were studied. The study was conducted at steady state after directly observed drug administration. RMP, INH and PZA concentrations were estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography and NAT2 genotyping by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results: RMP peak concentration (Cmax) was subtherapeutic (<8 mg/ml) in 88% of the patients. The Cmax of RMP, INH and PZA at 2 h was observed in respectively 83.2%, 97.0% and 92.1% of the patients. The Cmax and area under the curve from 0 to 8 h (AUC0–8) of PZA was lower in TB patients with diabetes mellitus than in non-diabetics. Significant associations were observed between the Cmax and the AUC0–8 of RMP, INH and PZA with drug doses; RMP with category of treatment; INH with smoking, body mass index and N-acetyl transferase 2 genotype; and PZA with sex and smoking.

Conclusions: Several risk factors for drug concentration variations were identified. Two-hour post-dosing drug concentrations mimicked Cmax. A high proportion of TB patients had RMP Cmax below the expected range, which is a matter of concern.

Keywords: Pharmacokinetics; anti-tuberculosis drugs; intermittent anti-tuberculosis treatment; Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme

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