Rifampicin containing antituberculosis medication
- Pharmacy Department,
- Department of Respiratory Medicine
- King’s College Hospital
- London SE5 9RS, UK
- Optimum Health Services
- St Giles Hospital
- London SE5 7RN
We wish to draw attention to the potential for error in the prescribing and dispensation of antituberculous drugs containing rifampicin.
Most prescriptions for patients with tuberculosis contain rifampicin; this drug must be administered with other chemotherapeutic agents, most commonly isoniazid and pyrazinamide, in order to avoid the emergence of drug resistant organisms. Patient compliance is much improved by the prescription of “combination therapy”.
Guidelines for the management of tuberculosis are available1 and the drug regimens specified by the Joint Tuberculosis Committee of the …
