Isoniazid is one of the most reliable and widely used antimicrobial agents against tuberculosis. When tuberculosis is being treated, Isoniazid is used with a few other antimicrobial agents for effective treatment. Isoniazid is uniquely preferred over other drugs because it has shown the best results for treating the disease in the long run.
History of the drug
Tuberculosis has been a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the last few centuries. This has made the discovery and utilization of Isoniazid of immense importance in the healthcare world. Previously, tuberculosis was thought of as an incurable and fatal disease, but with the advent of successful isoniazid use, TB is considered completely curable and preventable. However, the history of tuberculosis treatment had been so complicated, specifically because the cause of the disease was unknown.
Since the cause is now discovered, the efficacy of Isoniazid is better compared with other anti TB drugs. Streptomycin and para-aminobenzoic acid were found in 1945, but the bacteria developed resistance against them very quickly, making them ineffective for use. It became evident that until the discovery of a new drug, TB would remain a health threat worldwide.
In 1952, Isoniazid opened a whole new realm for treating tuberculosis. It is an inexpensive treatment without any invasive procedures, and the bacteria were not resistant to this class of antimicrobial agents. Later Isoniazid was replaced by rifampicin in 1970, but Isoniazid remains the major drug class. It is used in combination with ethambutol and pyrazinamide to prevent relapsing tuberculosis cases. The combination treatment has shortened the duration of the dosage regimen from nine months to four months and has given more convincing results to the healthcare practitioners.
