Version July 2025
| National Hansen's Disease Program (NHDP)*[1,2] | World Health Organization 2018 (WHO)[3] | ||||
| Regimen | Dose | Duration | Regimen | Dose | Duration |
| Tuberculoid ("paucibacillary"): TT and BT | Tuberculoid ("paucibacillary"): TT and BT | ||||
| Dapsone¶ | 100 mg once daily | 12 months | Dapsone¶ | 100 mg once daily | 6 months |
| Rifampin* | 600 mg once daily | Rifampin | 600 mg once monthly | ||
| Clofazimine | 300 mg once monthly, and 50 mg once daily | ||||
| Lepromatous ("multibacillary"): LL, BL, BB | Lepromatous ("multibacillary"): LL, BL, BB | ||||
| Dapsone¶ | 100 mg once daily | 24 months | Dapsone¶ | 100 mg once daily | 12 months |
| Rifampin* | 600 mg once daily | Rifampin | 600 mg once monthly | ||
| ClofazimineΔ | 50 mg once daily | Clofazimine | 300 mg once monthly, and 50 mg once daily | ||
BB: mid-borderline (these refer to the Ridley-Jopling classification); BL: borderline lepromatous; BT: borderline tuberculoid; G6PD: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; LL: lepromatous; TT: tuberculoid.
* The NHDP follows the WHO guidance issued in 1982, which favors a longer duration of therapy, administration of rifampin daily rather than monthly, and excludes clofazimine for treatment of paucibacillary disease[1]. For patients on prednisone, rifampin is administered monthly rather than daily[2].
¶ Patients should be screened for G6PD deficiency before receiving dapsone.
Δ In the United States, the NHDP holds the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for clofazimine treatment of leprosy. For further information or to request investigator status to use clofazimine, contact the NHDP: 1-800-642-2477. Clofazimine should be taken either with or immediately after food or milk to facilitate absorption. If clofazimine is not tolerated, daily minocycline may be substituted.