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. 2019 Dec;19(4):3200–3207. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v19i4.43

Table 1.

Treatment options for PCP. Source: Venkatesan P. Guidelines for the treatment of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) in adults. February 2017. Available from: www.nuh.nhs.uk/handlers.downloads.ashx?id=693474

Severity of infection Drug options Adjunctive steroids
First-line: For all degrees
of severity		 Cotrimoxazole Prednisone:
40 mg to be given 12-
hourly for five days.
(An equivalent dose of
an intravenous steroid
can also be given
initially.)
40 mg to be given in the
morning. Continue for
the next five days.
20 mg to be given in the
morning, continue for
the next eleven days.
Steroids should be
discontinued with or
before acute anti-PCP
treatment
Second-line: Mild PCP
infection		 In descending order of
preference:
Dapsone and
trimethoprim
Atovaquone
Moderate PCP
infection		 In descending order of
preference:
Clindamycin and
primaquine
Dapsone and
trimethoprim
Severe PCP
infection		 In descending order of
preference:
Clindamycin and
primaquine
Pentamidine IV