Effectiveness of multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy: a long-term follow-up of 34 multibacillary leprosy patients treated with multidrug regimens till skin smear negativity

The World Health Organization (WHO) Field Trials of multidrug therapy (MDT) started at Schieffelin Leprosy Research and Training Centre (SLR & IC), Karigiri, India in December 1981. The patients were treated with two MDT regimens. The first (regimen A) consisted of 600mg rifampicin and 300mg of clofazimine given under supervision on 2 consecutive days monthly, 225mg injection of acedapsone bimonthly and dapsone 100mg daily. The second regimen (regimen B) was the conventional MDT (WHO/MDT), rifampicin 600mg and clofazimine 300mg supervised once a month, dapsone 100mg and clofazimine 50mg daily, unsupervised. Both the regimens were administered for a minimum period of 2 years or until skin smear negativity, whichever occurred later. Thirty-four newly detected previously untreated MB patients, 16 of whom received regimen A and 18 regimen B, were reassessed. Both regimens were well accepted and well tolerated by the patients. Clofazimine discolouration was the only adverse effect of MDT seen in these patients. After completion of treatment with MDT, the patients were followed up for a total duration of 466 person-years with a mean of 13.7 +/- 1.4 years per patient. No relapse was seen.