Could 8 weeks of TB drugs be enough? new trial aims to find out

NCT ID NCT07163143

First seen Sep 30, 2025

Summary

This study looks at people who have chest X-ray signs of TB but whose sputum tests are negative. It tests whether shorter treatment (8 to 24 weeks) works as well as the standard 24-week course. 784 participants will be randomly assigned to different treatment lengths or close monitoring without immediate treatment. The goal is to find the shortest effective treatment and understand who can safely avoid treatment.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • Bulawayo City Health

    Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

    Contact Email: •••••@•••••

  • Clinical HIV Research Unit, Wits Health Consortium

    Johannesburg, South Africa

    Contact Email: •••••@•••••

  • National University of Medical Sciences

    Islamabad, Pakistan

    Contact Email: •••••@•••••

  • The Aurum Institute

    Johannesburg, South Africa

    Contact Email: •••••@•••••

What this could mean

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

Active substance

isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol (standard TB drugs)

What this could lead to

If successful, this could show that shorter TB treatment (8 weeks) is as effective as the standard 24 weeks, reducing side effects and burden for patients.

What could go wrong

This is a Phase 3 trial, but it focuses on a specific group (people with negative sputum tests). Results may not apply to all TB cases, and shorter treatment might still lead to relapse.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

pulmonary tuberculosis tuberculosis

As listed by the trial registrant

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