Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC)

November 2004     View PDF     En español

Maintenance therapy

People who have been treated for MAC disease have to take anti-MAC drugs for life as symptoms will often return if therapy is stopped. This is called maintenance therapy. The best maintenance therapy should lower the risk of drug resistance and should have few side effects. The current recommendation is to use clarithromycin or azithromycin plus ethambutol with or without rifabutin.

Successful treatment with potent anti-HIV therapy for several months may reduce the risk of relapse for people on maintenance therapy for MAC. However, it is not recommended that people stop their maintenance therapy as this has not been studied in enough people.