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New Two-Drug combo aims to stop leprosy spread in its tracks

NCT ID NCT05597280

Prevention Sponsor: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase 3 trial tests whether a combination of two antibiotics (bedaquiline and rifampicin) can better prevent leprosy than the current standard single dose of rifampicin. Over 124,000 people living near a leprosy patient in the Comoros will receive either the new two-dose regimen or the standard one-dose treatment. Researchers will track who develops leprosy over several years to see if the new combo is more effective.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
bedaquiline and rifampicin
What this could lead to
If successful, this could provide a more effective way to prevent leprosy in people living near a patient, reducing new cases in high-risk communities.
What could go wrong
This is a large trial, but the new regimen may cause more side effects (like nausea or dizziness) than the current single-dose treatment. It also requires two doses, which may be harder to deliver.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

About 124,000 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2023

Expected to finish

Mar 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

2 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Living in one of the study clusters (34 on Anjouan, 10 on Mohéli), in good state of health 2. Aged 2 years and above, as leprosy is very rare among infants and young toddlers. Children age 2-4 years or weighing less than 20 kg will not be given bedaquiline. If eligible they will receive only rifampicin. 3. Able and willing to provide informed consent for leprosy and tuberculosis screening, and PEP administration (as applicable in the different arms) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Signs of active leprosy 2. Signs of active pulmonary tuberculosis (cough ≥2 weeks duration and without a negative TB test) 3. Signs of active extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (bluish-red nodules that cover the lymph nodes, bones or joints, or cervical glands with discharge) 4. Having received rifampicin or bedaquiline (if applicable) in the last 2-year period 5. Self-reported (suspected) pregnancy or breastfeeding 6. Concurrent (within the last three week period before D0) use of medications not included in the safe list (for bedaquiline only)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

leprosy prevention target

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Leprosy

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Fondation Damien

    RECRUITING

    Moroni, Comoros

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