Rifater is a fixed dose combination

Fixed dose combination

A combination drug or fixed-dose combination is a formulation of two or more active ingredients combined in a single dosage form, available in certain fixed doses...

 tablet manufactured by Aventis

Aventis

Aventis was a pharmaceutical and lab assay testing company. It was formed in 1999 when Rhône-Poulenc S.A. merged with Hoechst AG. The merged company was based in Strasbourg, France. With its headquarters in Strasbourg, Aventis was the product of the first transnational merger to combine large...

 used in the treatment of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

. Each tablet contains 120 mg rifampicin

Rifampicin

Rifampicin or rifampin is a bactericidal antibiotic drug of the rifamycin group. It is a semisynthetic compound derived from Amycolatopsis rifamycinica ...

, 50 mg isoniazid

Isoniazid

Isoniazid , also known as isonicotinylhydrazine , is an organic compound that is the first-line antituberculosis medication in prevention and treatment. It was first discovered in 1912, and later in 1951 it was found to be effective against tuberculosis by inhibiting its mycolic acid...

and 300 mg pyrazinamide

Pyrazinamide

Pyrazinamide is a drug used to treat tuberculosis. The drug is largely bacteriostatic, but can be bacteriocidal on actively replicating tuberculosis bacteria.-Abbreviations:...

.

It is used in the first two months of tuberculosis treatment. The dose given depends on the patient's weight:

• up to 40 kg, 3 tablets daily;
• 40 to 49 kg, 4 tablets daily;
• 50 to 64 kg, 5 tablets daily;
• 65 kg or more, 6 tablets daily.

Rifater should not be used in children (the doses are wrong for them).

The purpose of the fixed dose combination is to make it easier for patients to take their medication; but also to ensure that if patients forget to take one or two of their drugs, they do not then develop resistance to the remaining drugs.