rifampin

American  

[ri-fam-pin] / rɪˈfæm pɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a semisynthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic, C 4 3 H 5 8 N 4 O 1 2 , used in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, asymptomatic carriers of meningococcal disease, and leprosy.

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Etymology

Origin of rifampin

1965–70; probably rifam ( yci ) n (originally, rifomycin, equivalent to rifo- (perhaps < Italian rifo ( rmare ) to reform ) + -mycin ) + pi(perazine)

Example Sentences

Since 2018, federal regulators have alerted the public about nitrosamine contamination in samples of the heartburn medication Zantac, the antibiotic rifampin and the smoking-cessation drug Chantix.

From New York Times • Aug. 11, 2022

He recommended that she take two antibiotics — doxycycline and rifampin — for a total of six weeks to treat the infection.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2022

If TB is resistant to rifampin, it's often resistant to another commonly used drug, Fauci said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2010

Still newer drugs include the potent antibiotic rifampin, and even thalidomide, which is administered to treat complications, but not for women of childbearing age.

From Time Magazine Archive

The antibiotic rifampin, a leading antituberculosis drug, has proved effective, healing leprous skin lesions four times as fast as dapsone.

From Time Magazine Archive