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Isoniazid

Drugs and Chemicals · NLM MeSH · updated 2026-10-31 · version 1

Citations verified against PubMedNot yet clinician-reviewed10 referencesApproximately 6 min read

Antibacterial agent used primarily as a tuberculostatic.

Table of Contents

1. Definition2. Research landscape3. Reading the evidence4. Open-access studies5. Key reviews6. References7. About this article

Definition and research guide

This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.

Content available: 4 complete abstracts (1,278 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.

Definition

Antibacterial agent used primarily as a tuberculostatic. It remains the treatment of choice for tuberculosis.

Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.

Also known as: Isonicotinic Acid Hydrazide; Hydrazide, Isonicotinic Acid; Phthivazide; Ftivazide; Phthivazid; Isonicotinic Acid Vanillylidenehydrazide; Acid Vanillylidenehydrazide, Isonicotinic; Vanillylidenehydrazide, Isonicotinic Acid.

Where it fits in the MeSH classification

Broader topics
Hydrazines; Isonicotinic Acids

Research landscape

PubMed indexes 20,461 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Isoniazid” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,808 of them (8.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 13,601 records.

Reviews account for 958 records (4.7%) and meta-analyses for 108. Randomized controlled trials number 556 (2.7%) as a share of all records on the topic.

PubMed records by publication periodthrough 1999: 13,601 records; 2000-2009: 2,036 records; 2010-2019: 3,016 records; 2020 onward: 1,808 records13,601through 19992,0362000-20093,0162010-20191,8082020 onward
Records in PubMed indexed with this heading, by publication period. Real counts from NCBI E-utilities; the final period covers only part of the current year. Volume reflects how much has been published, not how strong the evidence is.
Show the data
PeriodRecords
through 199913,601
2000-20092,036
2010-20193,016
2020 onward1,808
Share of records by publication typeReviews: 4.7 percent; Meta-analyses: 0.5 percent; Randomized controlled trials: 2.7 percentReviews4.7% (958)Meta-analyses0.5% (108)Randomized controlled trials2.7% (556)
Share of all PubMed records on this heading that carry each publication type. Types overlap with other records, so the shares do not sum to 100%.
Publication-type chart data
Publication types among 20,461 PubMed records
TypeRecordsShare
Reviews9584.7%
Meta-analyses1080.5%
Randomized controlled trials5562.7%

Method: PubMed query "Isoniazid"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.

Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals

Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.

Evidence from open-access studies

These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.

Study comparison — selected abstracts, not a systematic review
Study / authorsYearSource label / designEurope PMC citationsLicence / source
Biomarker-guided tuberculosis preventive therapy (CORTIS): a randomised controlled trial
Scriba TJ, Fiore-Gartland A, Penn-Nicholson A, Mulenga H, Kimbung Mbandi S, Borate B, et al.
2021Randomized controlled trial
Design not recorded in structured metadata
132cc by
PMID 33508224 · DOI · PMC7907670
3D-Printed Isoniazid Tablets for the Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis-Personalized Dosing and Drug Release
Öblom H, Zhang J, Pimparade M, Speer I, Preis M, Repka M, et al.
2019Research article
Design not recorded in structured metadata
94cc by
PMID 30617660 · DOI · PMC6373414
Prevalence and factors associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in South India
Shivekar SS, Kaliaperumal V, Brammacharry U, Sakkaravarthy A, Raj CKV, Alagappan C, et al.
2020Research article
Design not recorded in structured metadata
51cc by
PMID 33067551 · DOI · PMC7567814
Fitness Effect of the Isoniazid Resistance Mutation S315T of the Catalase-Peroxidase Enzyme KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Bastolla U, Rotkevich M, Arenas M, Arrayás M, Dogonadze M, Lavrova A, et al.
2025Research article
Design not recorded in structured metadata
2cc by
PMID 40580943 · DOI · PMC12242383

Biomarker-guided tuberculosis preventive therapy (CORTIS): a randomised controlled trial [1]

Randomized controlled trial Scriba TJ, Fiore-Gartland A, Penn-Nicholson A, Mulenga H, Kimbung Mbandi S, Borate B, et al. · · 2021 · cited 132 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
BackgroundTargeted preventive therapy for individuals at highest risk of incident tuberculosis might impact the epidemic by interrupting transmission.
Closing excerpt
FundingBill and Melinda Gates Foundation, South African Medical Research Council.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (311 words)

BackgroundTargeted preventive therapy for individuals at highest risk of incident tuberculosis might impact the epidemic by interrupting transmission. We tested performance of a transcriptomic signature of tuberculosis (RISK11) and efficacy of signature-guided preventive therapy in parallel, using a hybrid three-group study design.MethodsAdult volunteers aged 18-59 years were recruited at five geographically distinct communities in South Africa. Whole blood was sampled for RISK11 by quantitative RT-PCR assay from eligible volunteers without HIV, recent previous tuberculosis (ie, Findings20 207 volunteers were screened, and 2923 participants were enrolled, including RISK11-positive participants randomly assigned to 3HP (n=375) or no 3HP (n=764), and 1784 RISK11-negative participants. Cumulative probability of prevalent or incident tuberculosis disease was 0·066 (95% CI 0·049 to 0·084) in RISK11-positive (3HP negative) participants and 0·018 (0·011 to 0·025) in RISK11-negative participants (RR 3·69, 95% CI 2·25-6·05) over 15 months. Tuberculosis prevalence was 47 (4·1%) of 1139 versus 14 (0·78%) of 1984 in RISK11-positive compared with RISK11-negative participants, respectively (diagnostic RR 5·13, 95% CI 2·93 to 9·43). Tuberculosis incidence over 15 months was 2·09 (95% CI 0·97 to 3·19) vs 0·80 (0·30 to 1·30) per 100 person years in RISK11-positive (3HP-negative) participants compared with RISK11-negative participants (cumulative incidence ratio 2·6, 95% CI 1·2 to 5·9). Serious adverse events related to 3HP included one hospitalisation for seizures (unintentional isoniazid overdose) and one death of unknown cause (possibly temporally related). Tuberculosis incidence over 15 months was 1·94 (95% CI 0·35 to 3·50) versus 2·09 (95% CI 0·97 to 3·19) per 100 person-years in 3HP-treated RISK11-positive participants compared with untreated RISK11-positive participants (efficacy 7·0%, 95% CI -145 to 65).InterpretationThe RISK11 signature discriminated between individuals with prevalent tuberculosis, or progression to incident tuberculosis, and individuals who remained healthy, but provision of 3HP to signature-positive individuals after exclusion of baseline disease did not reduce progression to tuberculosis over 15 months.FundingBill and Melinda Gates Foundation, South African Medical Research Council.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33508224 · DOI · PMC7907670

3D-Printed Isoniazid Tablets for the Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis-Personalized Dosing and Drug Release [2]

Research article Öblom H, Zhang J, Pimparade M, Speer I, Preis M, Repka M, et al. · · 2019 · cited 94 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
The aim of the present work was to produce 3D-printed oral dosage forms with a sufficient drug dose displaying various release profiles.
Closing excerpt
This study presents novel formulations containing isoniazid for prevention of latent tuberculosis and investigates 3D printing technology for personalized production of oral solid dosage forms enabling adjustable dose and drug release properties.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (232 words)

The aim of the present work was to produce 3D-printed oral dosage forms with a sufficient drug dose displaying various release profiles. Hot-melt extrusion was utilized to produce drug-loaded feedstock material that was subsequently 3D-printed into 6, 8, and 10 × 2.5 mm tablets with 15% and 90% infill levels. The prepared formulations contained 30% (w/w) isoniazid in combination with one or multiple pharmaceutical polymers possessing suitable properties for oral drug delivery. Thirteen formulations were successfully hot-melt extruded of which eight had properties suitable for fused deposition modeling 3D printing. Formulations containing HPC were found to be superior regarding printability in this study. Filaments with a breaking distance below 1.5 mm were observed to be too brittle to be fed into the printer. In addition, filaments with high moisture uptake at high relative humidity generally failed to be printable. Different release profiles for the 3D-printed tablets were obtained as a result of using different polymers in the printed formulations. For 8 mm tablets printed with 90% infill, 80% isoniazid release was observed between 40 and 852 min. Drug release characteristics could further be altered by changing the infill or the size of the printed tablets allowing personalization of the tablets. This study presents novel formulations containing isoniazid for prevention of latent tuberculosis and investigates 3D printing technology for personalized production of oral solid dosage forms enabling adjustable dose and drug release properties.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30617660 · DOI · PMC6373414

Prevalence and factors associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in South India [3]

Research article Shivekar SS, Kaliaperumal V, Brammacharry U, Sakkaravarthy A, Raj CKV, Alagappan C, et al. · · 2020 · cited 51 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
India accounts for about one-fourth of the global burden of MDR-TB.
Closing excerpt
Association of MDR-TB with age, gender, and HIV status suggest the role of the immune system in the emergence of the MDR phenotype.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (490 words)

India accounts for about one-fourth of the global burden of MDR-TB. This study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with tuberculosis drug resistance among patients from South India. MTBDRplus assay and MGIT liquid culture performed on 20,245 sputum specimens obtained from presumptive MDR-TB cases during a six-year period from 2013 to 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to evaluate factors associated with MDR, Rifampicin mono-resistance, and Isoniazid mono-resistance. MDR, Rifampicin mono- resistant and Isoniazid mono-resistant TB were found in 5.4%, 2.5%, and 11.4% cases of presumptive MDR-TB, respectively. Based on the rpoB gene, true resistance, hetero-resistance, and inferred resistance to Rifampicin was found in 38%, 29.3%, and 32.7% of the 1582 MDR cases, respectively. S450L (MUT3) was the most common rpoB mutation present in 59.4% of the Rifampicin resistant cases. Of the 3390 Isoniazid resistant cases, 72.5% had mutations in the katG gene, and 27.5% had mutations in the inhA gene. True resistance, heteroresistance, and inferred resistance accounted for 42.9%, 22.2%, and 17.3% of the 2459 katG resistant cases, respectively. True resistance, heteroresistance, and inferred resistance for the inhA gene were found in 54.5%, 40.7%, and 4.7% cases, respectively. MDR-contact (AOR 3.171 95% CI: 1.747-5.754, p-0.000) treatment failure (AOR 2.17595% CI: 1.703-2.777, p-0.000) and female gender (AOR 1.315 95% CI: 1.117-1.548, p-0.001), were positively associated with MDR-TB. Previous TB treatment did not show a significant positive association with MDR (AOR 1.113 95% CI: 0.801-1.546, p-0.523). Old age (AOR 0.994 95% CI: 0.990-0.999, p-0.023) and HIV seropositivity (AOR 0.580 95% CI: 0.369-0.911, p-0.018) were negatively associated with MDR-TB. Although Rifampicin mono-resistance had a positive association with treatment failure (AOR 2.509 95% CI: 1.804-3.490, p < .001), it did not show any association with previous TB treatment (AOR 1.286 95% CI: 0.765-2.164, p-0.342) or with history of contact with MDR-TB (AOR 1.813 95% CI: 0.591-5.560, p-0.298). However, INH mono-resistance showed a small positive association with the previous history of treatment for TB (AOR 1.303 95% CI: 1.021-1.662, p-0.033). It was also positively associated (AOR 2.094 95% CI: 1.236-3.548, p-0.006) with MDR-TB contacts. Thus INH resistance may develop during treatment if compliance has not adhered too and may be easily passed on to the contacts while Rifampicin resistance is probably due to factors other than treatment compliance. MDR-TB, i.e. resistance to both Rifampicin and Isoniazid, is strongly correlated with treatment failure, spread through contact, and not to treatment compliance. The temporal trend in this region shows a decrease in MDR prevalence from 8.4% in 2015 to 1.3% in 2018. A similar trend is observed for Rifampicin mono-resistance and Isoniazid mono-resistance, pointing to the effectiveness of the TB control program. The higher proportion of inferred resistance observed for Rifampicin compared with INH may indicate a surfeit of mechanisms that enable rifampicin resistance. Association of MDR-TB with age, gender, and HIV status suggest the role of the immune system in the emergence of the MDR phenotype.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33067551 · DOI · PMC7567814

Fitness Effect of the Isoniazid Resistance Mutation S315T of the Catalase-Peroxidase Enzyme KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis [4]

Research article Bastolla U, Rotkevich M, Arenas M, Arrayás M, Dogonadze M, Lavrova A, et al. · · 2025 · cited 2 times (Europe PMC)

Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
Opening excerpt
The mutation S315T of the catalase-peroxidase (CP) protein KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most common mutation that confers resistance to the prodrug isoniazid.
Closing excerpt
This suggests that isoniazid treatment could be complemented with drugs that produce oxidative stress in order to hinder the propagation of resistant strains devoid of compensatory mutations.
Interpretation limits
Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (245 words)

The mutation S315T of the catalase-peroxidase (CP) protein KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most common mutation that confers resistance to the prodrug isoniazid. Here, we reconstruct its evolutionary history in 145 whole-genome sequences of M. tuberculosis from Russian hospitals, inferring 11 independent appearances of this mutation and 5 reversion events, with an estimated reversion rate 1,500 times higher than the rate of preserved nonsynonymous or intragenic mutations. This suggests that, contrary to the commonly held view, the mutation KatG(S315T) results in a fitness cost, possibly because of reduced tolerance to oxidative stress. Consistent with this interpretation, the mutant enzyme presents reduced CP activities. Applying the torsional network model (TNM), we found that the mutant protein shows more restricted thermal dynamics, although its functional site moves quite similarly to the wild type. Of the four internal clones where KatG(S315T) arose, two present high reproductive rates and secondary mutations at the 5'-UTR region of the gene encoding superoxide dismutase A (sodA), while the other two present significantly lower reproductive rates and lack mutations at genes related with tolerance to oxidative stress. Our results suggest that the resistance mutation KatG(S315T) incurs a fitness cost, which may be alleviated through compensatory mutations at the gene sodA or other genes that respond to oxidative stress, such as the previously known gene ahpC. This suggests that isoniazid treatment could be complemented with drugs that produce oxidative stress in order to hinder the propagation of resistant strains devoid of compensatory mutations.

Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40580943 · DOI · PMC12242383

Key reviews and meta-analyses

The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.

  • Research article The Global Burden of Latent Tuberculosis Infection: A Re-estimation Using Mathematical Modelling [5]
    Houben RM, Dodd PJ · PLoS Med · 2016 · cited 1,511 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection [6]
    Getahun H, Matteelli A, Chaisson RE, Raviglione M · N Engl J Med · 2015 · cited 537 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Management of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: WHO guidelines for low tuberculosis burden countries [7]
    Getahun H, Matteelli A, Abubakar I, Aziz MA, Baddeley A, Barreira D, et al. · Eur Respir J · 2015 · cited 463 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Antimicrobial agent resistance in mycobacteria: molecular genetic insights [8]
    Musser JM · Clin Microbiol Rev · 1995 · cited 362 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Isoniazid liver injury: clinical spectrum, pathology, and probable pathogenesis [9]
    Mitchell JR, Zimmerman HJ, Ishak KG, Thorgeirsson UP, Timbrell JA, Snodgrass WR, et al. · Ann Intern Med · 1976 · cited 305 times (Europe PMC)
  • Research article Toxic hepatitis with isoniazid and rifampin. A meta-analysis [10]
    Steele MA, Burk RF, DesPrez RM · Chest · 1991 · cited 277 times (Europe PMC)

References

  1. Scriba TJ, Fiore-Gartland A, Penn-Nicholson A, Mulenga H, Kimbung Mbandi S, Borate B, et al.. Biomarker-guided tuberculosis preventive therapy (CORTIS): a randomised controlled trial. . 2021. PMID 33508224 · DOI · PMC7907670
  2. Öblom H, Zhang J, Pimparade M, Speer I, Preis M, Repka M, et al.. 3D-Printed Isoniazid Tablets for the Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis-Personalized Dosing and Drug Release. . 2019. PMID 30617660 · DOI · PMC6373414
  3. Shivekar SS, Kaliaperumal V, Brammacharry U, Sakkaravarthy A, Raj CKV, Alagappan C, et al.. Prevalence and factors associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in South India. . 2020. PMID 33067551 · DOI · PMC7567814
  4. Bastolla U, Rotkevich M, Arenas M, Arrayás M, Dogonadze M, Lavrova A, et al.. Fitness Effect of the Isoniazid Resistance Mutation S315T of the Catalase-Peroxidase Enzyme KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. . 2025. PMID 40580943 · DOI · PMC12242383
  5. Houben RM, Dodd PJ. The Global Burden of Latent Tuberculosis Infection: A Re-estimation Using Mathematical Modelling. PLoS Med. 2016. PMID 27780211 · DOI · PMC5079585
  6. Getahun H, Matteelli A, Chaisson RE, Raviglione M. Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. N Engl J Med. 2015. PMID 26017823 · DOI
  7. Getahun H, Matteelli A, Abubakar I, Aziz MA, Baddeley A, Barreira D, et al.. Management of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: WHO guidelines for low tuberculosis burden countries. Eur Respir J. 2015. PMID 26405286 · DOI · PMC4664608
  8. Musser JM. Antimicrobial agent resistance in mycobacteria: molecular genetic insights. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1995. PMID 8665467 · DOI · PMC172873
  9. Mitchell JR, Zimmerman HJ, Ishak KG, Thorgeirsson UP, Timbrell JA, Snodgrass WR, et al.. Isoniazid liver injury: clinical spectrum, pathology, and probable pathogenesis. Ann Intern Med. 1976. PMID 766682 · DOI
  10. Steele MA, Burk RF, DesPrez RM. Toxic hepatitis with isoniazid and rifampin. A meta-analysis. Chest. 1991. PMID 1824929 · DOI

About this article

Sources
NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
Verification
Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
Review state
automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
Version
1, last updated 2026-10-31.

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At a glance

20,461
PubMed records on this heading
9%
published since 2020
958
review articles
556
randomized trials
10
verified references below

Counts come from PubMed on 2026-10-31; they show how much has been written, not how strong the evidence is.

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