Editorial: The Rationale for Multi-drug Therapy

Abstract

In literature, the terms Multidrug Therapy (MDT) and Combination Therapy (CT) are used
interchangeably and refer to concurrent use of 2 or more drugs in the management of diseases. In
chemotherapy of cancer, malaria, HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and leprosy Multiple Drug Therapy is the
rule rather than exception. MDT is used to exploit synergistic and additive potential of individual
drugs without increasing the toxicity of the combination. A tacit understanding is that such drugs will
have different biochemical targets (different mechanism of action) and their toxicity will not be
additive or complementary.