Dapsone (Systemic)

Class: Antimycobacterials, Miscellaneous
- Antimycobacterial Agents
ATC Class: J04BA02
VA Class: AM900
Chemical Name: Diaminodiphenylsulfone
Molecular Formula: C₁₂H₁₂N₂O₂S
CAS Number: 80-08-0

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com on Aug 19, 2021. Written by ASHP.

Introduction

Antimycobacterial; antiprotozoal; sulfone.

Uses for Dapsone (Systemic)

Leprosy

Treatment of leprosy (Hansen's disease) in conjunction with other anti-infectives.

WHO and US National Hansen's Disease Program (NHDP) recommend multidrug therapy (MDT) for treatment of all forms of leprosy, including multibacillary leprosy and paucibacillary leprosy.

MDT regimens can rapidly kill Mycobacterium leprae, render patient noninfectious after only a few days of treatment, delay or prevent emergence of resistant M. leprae, and reduce risk of relapse after treatment discontinuance. MDT regimens do not enhance rate of clearance of dead bacilli from the body; such clearance may take years and depends largely on individual's immune response, which may be defective in leprosy patients. Reactive episodes reported in leprosy patients receiving treatment appear to be due to destruction of M. leprae and immune responses to released bacterial antigens. (See Leprosy Reactional States under Cautions.)

For treatment of multibacillary leprosy (i.e., ≥6 lesions or skin smear positive) in adults, WHO recommends a 12-month MDT regimen of dapsone (once daily), rifampin (once monthly), and clofazimine (once daily and once monthly). For treatment of paucibacillary leprosy (i.e., 1–5 lesions) in adults, WHO recommends a 6-month MDT regimen of dapsone (once daily) and rifampin (once monthly).

For US patients, NHDP recommends more prolonged treatment. NHDP recommends that adults with multibacillary leprosy (i.e., those who are skin smear positive and/or have biopsy indicating more advanced disease) receive a 24-month MDT regimen of dapsone (once daily), rifampin (once daily), and ..