Solving the challenge of drug-resistant TB in India
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Solving the challenge of drug-resistant TB in India

Hindustan Times  

During the recent Maharashtra assembly session, questions were raised about the rising tuberculosis cases. The current treatment options available to us in India are limited; many come with severe side effects like severe peripheral neuropathy, pink to black brown discoloration of skin lasting up to three years, and potentially even psychosis, making it an extremely difficult, and at times hopeless journey for the patient, their families and treating physicians. After a 50-year dry spell, the scientific community discovered bedaquiline in 2012 which now forms part of several new drug regimens that have greatly improved treatment success rates. In December 2022, the World Health Organization recommended the use of BPaL regimen in drug-resistant TB patients – considering its high success rates of 89% compared to the 52% success rates with current standard of care regimens. The WHO itself stated in 2022 “We now call for urgent action by national TB programmes and partners in rapidly transitioning to the new drug-resistant TB treatment regimen.’’ Last year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health too noted the “significant challenge posed by drug resistant TB” and highlighted the importance of early diagnosis and the need to “expedite the scale up” of newer, safer and shorter regimens for treating various forms of TB.

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History of this topic

In the ‘END TB’ strategy, the other grave forms of tuberculosis are out of focus
2 weeks, 1 day ago

In the ‘END TB’ strategy, the other grave forms of tuberculosis are out of focus

The Hindu  

In January 2021, SA, the middle of three siblings, a bright adolescent in the slums of Howrah, aspired to clear her class 12 exams soon, and start earning for the family. However manifestations of TB are protean, and the seriousness and prevalence of some forms of TB, which are loosely conflated into one term, EPTB or Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis, cannot …

Health Minister launches 100-day campaign to reduce TB incidence and mortality
Trending News
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Health Minister launches 100-day campaign to reduce TB incidence and mortality

The Hindu  

“The rate of TB decline in India has doubled from 8.3% in 2015 to 17.7% today, much ahead of the global average. Deaths due to TB have also reduced in India by 21.4% in the last 10 years,” Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said at the launch of the intensified national ‘100 day TB elimination campaign’ on Saturday, in Haryana. …

​Taking TB seriously: The Hindu Editorial on the BPaLM treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis
3 months, 2 weeks ago

​Taking TB seriously: The Hindu Editorial on the BPaLM treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis

The Hindu  

Time is of the essence in adopting advanced technology in medical care. The Union Health Ministry’s decision to introduce the new treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis hardly a couple of years after it was recommended by the World Health Organization, is a step in the right direction. This regimen has been proven to offer better outcomes, remarkably shortening the duration …

BPaLM Regimen Is the New Ray of Hope for Drug-Resistant TB
3 months, 2 weeks ago

BPaLM Regimen Is the New Ray of Hope for Drug-Resistant TB

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: Patients of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the state will soon get a new regimen, which is expected to bring down the cost and also the time of treatment from 20 months to six. BPaLM regimen, a novel treatment method for Multi-DrugResistant Tuberculosis includes a new anti-TB drug called pretomanid, which has earlier been approved and licenced for use in India …

Health ministry approves shorter, more effective treatment for multi-drug-resistant TB
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Health ministry approves shorter, more effective treatment for multi-drug-resistant TB

Hindustan Times  

The Union health ministry has approved the shorter, less toxic, and more effective treatment regimen — BPaLM— against the multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis under its National TB Elimination Program. “While traditional MDR-TB treatments can last up to 20 months with severe side effects, BPaLM regimen can cure the drug-resistant TB in just six months with high treatment success rate,” the health ministry …

Health Ministry approves new treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant TB
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Health Ministry approves new treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant TB

The Hindu  

The Union Health Ministry has approved the introduction of a new treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis in India. The BPaLM regimen consisting of four drugs — Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid and Moxifloxacin — has proven to be a safe, more effective and quicker treatment option than the previous Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis treatment procedure, the Ministry said on Friday. While traditional treatments can …

Eliminating TB by 2025 looks near impossible
4 months ago

Eliminating TB by 2025 looks near impossible

Hindustan Times  

Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable. The latest WHO Global TB Report reveals that India has the world’s largest TB epidemic; at 2.6 million, the country accounts for the highest number of TB cases as well as multi-drug resistant cases. A study from Mumbai highlighted an unacceptably long average delay between a …

Solving the challenge of drug-resistant TB in India
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Solving the challenge of drug-resistant TB in India

Hindustan Times  

During the recent Maharashtra assembly session, questions were raised about the rising tuberculosis cases. The current treatment options available to us in India are limited; many come with severe side effects like severe peripheral neuropathy, pink to black brown discoloration of skin lasting up to three years, and potentially even psychosis, making it an extremely difficult, and at times hopeless …

India paves way for a cheaper anti-tuberculosis drug for kids
5 months ago

India paves way for a cheaper anti-tuberculosis drug for kids

Hindustan Times  

The Indian Patent Office’s rejection of Johnson & Johnson’s application for the paediatric version of its anti-tuberculosis drug, bedaquiline, is likely to have broader implications for access to cost-effective TB treatment, according to experts. Last year, the patent office also rejected the US pharmaceutical corporation’s attempt to extend its monopoly in India on bedaquiline for treating adults beyond the primary …

Health Ministry reworks protocol as India’s TB elimination drive plateaus
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Health Ministry reworks protocol as India’s TB elimination drive plateaus

The Hindu  

India’s goal to achieve rapid decline in the burden of tuberculosis morbidity and mortality, while working towards the elimination of TB in the country by 2025, has plateaued, a senior Health Ministry official said. According to the Health Ministry, India has been engaged in TB control activities for more than 50 years, yet the disease continues to be the country’s …

Absence of full drug-susceptibility data for TB patients can result in amplifying resistance: study
8 months, 1 week ago

Absence of full drug-susceptibility data for TB patients can result in amplifying resistance: study

The Hindu  

In presumptive multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases, whole genome sequencing revealed that pre-extensively drug-resistant TB was present in 50.83% of cases, while MDR-TB was found in 15.5% with nearly equivalent proportions among men and women, found a study conducted by an IIT Mumbai start-up in collaboration with Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, sheds light on TB dynamics in India and is …

Gross mismanagement: The Hindu Editorial on TB drug shortages and India’s national TB programme
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Gross mismanagement: The Hindu Editorial on TB drug shortages and India’s national TB programme

The Hindu  

April 10, 2024 12:15 am | Updated 01:30 pm IST With less than two years left to achieve the ambitious goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 to “eliminate” TB in India, the pharmacy of the Global South is once again struggling to treat patients with drug-sensitive TB. Just seven months ago, there was an acute shortage of …

Eradication of TB remains a distant goal as systemic challenges persist
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Eradication of TB remains a distant goal as systemic challenges persist

The Hindu  

March 28, 2024 10:35 pm | Updated March 29, 2024 12:40 pm IST Ahead of World TB Day on March 24, Survivors Against TB, a community advocacy group of TB survivors, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister “on the urgent and pressing need to expand efforts to address India’s Tuberculosis crisis.” The letter mentions that despite the government’s commitment …

TB challenge needs a multi-focal approach
8 months, 3 weeks ago

TB challenge needs a multi-focal approach

Hindustan Times  

An increase in the number of tuberculosis cases notified in India in 2023 over 2022 underscores the rigour of the efforts to shrink the pool escaping the TB control programme’s radar. The better capture of cases can be credited to the private sector’s impressive jump in performance, as well as states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar bettering their record. India’s …

Making TB among women visible
9 months ago

Making TB among women visible

Hindustan Times  

Did you know that India has the highest burden of tuberculosis, or TB in the world? As a result, finding and treating extra-pulmonary TB remains a challenge in India and I’m sure this is compounded with the challenges that women generally face in accessing healthcare2. It is the need of the hour to raise awareness about TB in women –symptoms …

Improved drug regimens for TB to cut treatment time
1 year ago

Improved drug regimens for TB to cut treatment time

The Hindu  

This November, at The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2023, there was much optimism, as it seemed that there were finally tools available to fast-track work on multiple aspects of TB control. Four, new improved drug regimens that could cut treatment time for drug resistant tuberculosis by up to two thirds, were the primary source of this optimism. According …

Eight months on, States wait for 3HP TB preventive drug
1 year ago

Eight months on, States wait for 3HP TB preventive drug

The Hindu  

Eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment in March 2023 called the 3HP — once-weekly isoniazid-rifapentine for 12 weeks — States are yet to receive the 3HP combination drug from the Central TB Division. But if active TB disease is not ruled out before starting TB preventive treatment, there is …

WHO hailed India’s success in managing TB: Union Health Ministry
1 year, 1 month ago

WHO hailed India’s success in managing TB: Union Health Ministry

The Hindu  

India has made tremendous progress in improving case detection and reversed the impact of COVID-19 on the tuberculosis programme, noted the World Health Organization’s ‘Global TB Report 2023’ released earlier this week, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. “The WHO has made a downward revision of TB mortality rates from 4.94 lakh in 2021 to 3.31 lakh in 2022, …

Need to introduce DR-TB regimens that give patients a better chance at life
1 year, 4 months ago

Need to introduce DR-TB regimens that give patients a better chance at life

Live Mint  

In India’s battle against tuberculosis, a new call is rising to demand access to a new regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Many who have worked in the TB space would be reminded of India’s journey in expanding access to bedaquiline, which was then the first anti-TB drug developed in the last 40 years. Despite the WHO’s recommendation to introduce bedaquiline use …

A new edge to the fight against tuberculosis
1 year, 8 months ago

A new edge to the fight against tuberculosis

The Hindu  

At the One World TB Summit in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on March 24, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi instilled fresh energy to the global tuberculosis elimination response and reiterated India’s commitment to spearhead this effort. The Prime Minister’s remarks are critical as we look to redefine India’s and the world’s TB elimination response — with innovation and research being central …

Explained | Bedaquiline, India’s anti-tuberculosis fight, and a patent battle
1 year, 8 months ago

Explained | Bedaquiline, India’s anti-tuberculosis fight, and a patent battle

The Hindu  

The story so far: On March 23, the Indian Patent Office rejected an application by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to extend its patent on the drug bedaquiline beyond July 2023. The rejection opens the door for drug manufacturers to produce generic versions of bedaquiline, which are expected to be more affordable and to contribute to India’s goal of eliminating …

India Rejects J&J Plea to Extend Patent on Key Tuberculosis Drug, Drop in Prices Expected
1 year, 9 months ago

India Rejects J&J Plea to Extend Patent on Key Tuberculosis Drug, Drop in Prices Expected

News 18  

In a massive blow, the Indian Patent Office rejected US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson’s application to extend its monopoly on the key tuberculosis drug, bedaquiline, which is set to expire in July. Developed by Janssen – Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical division – in 2012, bedaquiline received conditional approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of …

Significantly shorter treatment for drug-resistant TB likely soon
1 year, 9 months ago

Significantly shorter treatment for drug-resistant TB likely soon

Hindustan Times  

Mumbai: There’s some cheer in store for drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, who have been abiding a prolonged treatment regimen with severe side-effects. HT Image The present treatment guideline, which has 13 to 14 drugs given daily for a period of 18 to 24 months, was formulated two and a half years ago. The core committee of the National TB Elimination Programme …

WEB EXCLUSIVE | How COVID-19 has hit India’s fight against TB
2 years ago

WEB EXCLUSIVE | How COVID-19 has hit India’s fight against TB

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 06, 2022 16:26 IST It is slowly becoming apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic, which first hit India in early 2020, has had devastating and long-lasting effects on the nation’s ability to achieve its tuberculosis goals. The pandemic, followed by lockdowns and large-scale migrations of various populations, has continued to impact access to diagnosis as well as treatment …

“We are working towards a TB vaccine in India”
2 years ago

“We are working towards a TB vaccine in India”

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 06, 2022 15:24 IST While the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020 did impact tuberculosis elimination efforts and services across the country, several campaigns were put in place to offset the impact, according to Dr. Raghuram Rao, Assistant Director General, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme responded with timely …

India accounts for 28% of 10.6 million TB cases in 2021: WHO report
2 years, 1 month ago

India accounts for 28% of 10.6 million TB cases in 2021: WHO report

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: Around 10.6 million people across the world were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2021, an increase of 4.5% from 2020, while 1.6 million patients died of the bacterial disease, according to the World Health Organization’s 2022 Global TB report. Nearly 82% of global TB deaths among HIV-negative people occurred in the African and South-East Asia regions, with India alone …

Tuberculosis cases worldwide rise for the first time in years
2 years, 1 month ago

Tuberculosis cases worldwide rise for the first time in years

LA Times  

A relative adjusts the oxygen mask of a tuberculosis patient at a TB hospital on World Tuberculosis Day in Hyderabad, India, on March 24, 2018. The WHO also blamed COVID-19 for much of the rise in TB, saying the pandemic “continues to have a damaging impact on access to TB diagnosis and treatment.” It said progress made before 2019 has …

India must fine-tune its strategy to eliminate Tuberculosis
2 years, 2 months ago

India must fine-tune its strategy to eliminate Tuberculosis

The Hindu  

Termed as the severest crisis in a century, the COVID-19 pandemic dislodged the entire health system in India, sidelining other public health issues, and tuberculosis was no exception. Despite an extensive national programme and a vast private sector, India is the global epicentre for TB, with an estimated 2.8 million TB cases, and with TB killing more than 4,00,000 Indians …

With over 90% Efficacy against Drug-resistant Disease, New TB Treatment Lets Experts Breathe Easy
2 years, 3 months ago

With over 90% Efficacy against Drug-resistant Disease, New TB Treatment Lets Experts Breathe Easy

News 18  

Discarding concerns of efficacy with a lower dose, a three-drugs-based new treatment regimen has a higher success rate than the existing drug-resistant TB treatment, says the latest ZeNix study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The “bedaquiline-pretomanid-linezolid” regimen, abbreviated as the BPaL regimen, has been reported to have around 90% efficacy against highly drug-resistant tuberculosis, but the incidence …

Health Matters: Govt Wants to Eliminate TB But Data Not In Sync With Promise. Blame it on Covid
2 years, 5 months ago

Health Matters: Govt Wants to Eliminate TB But Data Not In Sync With Promise. Blame it on Covid

News 18  

It was all about Covid-19 for the past two years. #TBMuktBharat pic.twitter.com/z1vYXpncH4— Central TB Division | #TBMuktBharat July 8, 2022 Now, with less than three years to that deadline – 2025, which is five years ahead of the target set by Sustainable Development Goals 2030 – there are important lines of inquiries that need to be pursued to track how …

Excerpt: The Phantom Plague by Vidya Krishnan
2 years, 6 months ago

Excerpt: The Phantom Plague by Vidya Krishnan

Hindustan Times  

The HIV epidemic was a rude awakening. Within global health, this problem has come to be known as “the missing millions.” According to the WHO, in 2019, 10 million people fell ill with TB. The study found that across all four countries — India, South Africa, China, and Kenya — only 35 percent of the actor-patients were “correctly managed.” To …

Ending TB by 2025 needs more clinical research on drug resistance
2 years, 8 months ago

Ending TB by 2025 needs more clinical research on drug resistance

Hindustan Times  

Zainab, a child living in Mumbai, was two2 years old when she stopped gaining weight and started having fa ever. Research on DR-TB TB treatment must provide patients with treatment that includes shorter, well-tolerated combination of drugs that are adapted for administration to both adults and children. Research in this aspect will lead to robust scientific evidence for better and …

India may come up with vaccine against tuberculosis by 2024, says Indian scientist
2 years, 8 months ago

India may come up with vaccine against tuberculosis by 2024, says Indian scientist

India TV News  

Highlights India may come up with a vaccine against tuberculosis two years down the line The enrolment of 12,000 participants aged six years and above for the trial has been completed ICMR-NARI is the main site and it has completed the enrolment of 1,593 healthy household contacts India may come up with a vaccine against tuberculosis two years down the …

India to be TB-free by 2025, says Minister
2 years, 9 months ago

India to be TB-free by 2025, says Minister

The Hindu  

A 19% increase was witnessed in 2021 from the previous year in TB patients’ notification. On the World Tuberculosis Day on Thursday, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making India tuberculosis–free by 2025 and said this will be achieved by ensuring access to quality healthcare and advanced treatment. The report said despite the brief decline in TB …

World Tuberculosis Day 2022: Ways to prevent transmission of this airborne disease
2 years, 9 months ago

World Tuberculosis Day 2022: Ways to prevent transmission of this airborne disease

India TV News  

Highlights Avoid close contact with the person who has TB Practice good hygiene. Cover your mouth with your elbow while coughing or sneezing Healthcare personnel coming in contact with TB infected persons are at high risk of exposure Tuberculosis, commonly abbreviated to TB, is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. Read: World Tuberculosis Day 2022: Ayurvedic remedies …

Drugs, Diagnosis And Disease Management: India’s Fight to Eliminate TB by 2025
2 years, 9 months ago

Drugs, Diagnosis And Disease Management: India’s Fight to Eliminate TB by 2025

The Quint  

When Yasmeen Chaudhary visited her doctor complaining of fever, cough, and fatigue, they told her that she had typhoid. There, she learned that she was suffering from Multi-Drug Resistant TB and was given treatment accordingly. To make matters worse, TB also took away my job. The pain of the injections and medication was so excruciating that I simply did not …

India's TB Elimination Programme Goes Beyond Medical Interventions, Says MoS Health
3 years, 1 month ago

India's TB Elimination Programme Goes Beyond Medical Interventions, Says MoS Health

News 18  

India’s TB elimination programme addresses all co-morbidities and goes beyond medical interventions to tackle the social determinants of the disease, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said Tuesday. Highlighting the commitment of India towards eliminating TB, she said, “India’s TB Elimination Programme is also addressing all co-morbidities and goes beyond medical interventions to tackle the social determinants of …

Data | TB deaths on a seven-year high as case notifications and outpatient visits dipped in 2020
3 years, 2 months ago

Data | TB deaths on a seven-year high as case notifications and outpatient visits dipped in 2020

The Hindu  

As many as 1.3 million fewer cases of Tuberculosis were detected in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the WHO. Following a drop in detection of new cases, deaths attributed to TB rose for the first time in the last 16 years in the world. Worryingly, among high-burden nations, India spent the least on TB drugs per patient despite accounting …

Excess use of antibiotics may cause health crisis in India: Expert
3 years, 4 months ago

Excess use of antibiotics may cause health crisis in India: Expert

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: Indiscriminate use of antibiotics during Covid-19 has added to the problem of antimicrobial resistance in the country making it difficult to meet the goals of eradication of tuberculosis by 2025. Experts state that secondary infections due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics will add to an estimated 10 million deaths. Ganguly, former director-general of Indian Council of Medical Research, …

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