A large real-world study presented at the 2026 International AIDS Conference confirms that tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment significantly reduces deaths among people living with HIV. The study, which followed over 200,000 participants across 12 countries, found a 23% reduction in all-cause mortality among those who completed a course of TB preventive therapy compared to those who did not.
TB remains the leading cause of death among people with HIV, accounting for about one in three AIDS-related deaths globally. Although clinical trials have long shown the efficacy of preventive treatment, this is one of the first studies to demonstrate its impact in routine healthcare settings, where adherence and follow-up can be more challenging.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends TB preventive treatment for all people living with HIV, but implementation has been slow. The study's findings underscore the urgent need to scale up access to this life-saving intervention, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the highest burden of both HIV and TB.
Experts say that integrating TB preventive treatment into HIV care programs could dramatically reduce mortality and help achieve global targets to end AIDS and TB by 2030. The study's lead author emphasized that 'this is a simple, cost-effective intervention that we know works β now we need to make it available to everyone who needs it.'
