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No need to add rifampicin to standard antibiotic treatment for Staphylococcus aureus blood infections

15 Dec 2017

Adding the drug rifampicin to standard antibiotic treatment does not improve outcomes from blood infections caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bug, according to the results of the largest ever trial on how to treat the infection, which were published last night in The Lancet journal.

ARREST tested whether adding an antibiotic drug called rifampicin (or rifampin) to standard antibiotic treatment for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) blood infections, would reduce:

  • deaths
  • the infection not being cured
  • the infection coming back

S. aureus blood infection is common and can be life-threatening. Around one in every five people who have a S. aureus blood infection die from it. Yet, until now, there has been very little good quality evidence on how best to treat it.

See the ARREST study page for more information including podcasts papers and results.