Superbugs Thrive As Access to Antibiotics Fails in India

It ‘s germ Paradox, doctors Say.

On the One Hand, Antibiotics Are Are Being Overused Unel they No Longer Work, Driving Resistance and Fuelling the Rise of Deadly Superbugs. On the Other Hand, People Are Dying Becuses They Can’t Access These Life-Saving Drugs.

A New Study by the non-profit Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (Gardp) Look at Access to Antibiotics for Nearly 1.5 Million Cases of Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative (CRGN) Infecations Across Major Low- and Middle-Incoming Countries, Including India, Including India, Brazil and South Africa. CRGN BACTERIA ARE Superbugs Resistant to Last -Line Antibiotics – Yet Only 6.9% of Patients Received Appropriate Treatment in the Countries Studied.

India Bore the Lion’s Share of CRGNS INFECTIONS AND TREATMENTS EFFORTS, PROCURING 80% of the full courses of studied antibiotics but managing to Treat only 7.8% of its estimated cases, the study In the Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal Reports. (A full drug Course of Antibiotics Reference to the Complete Set of Doses a patient Needs to take over a specific period to full Treat an infection.)

Common in Water, Food, The Environment and the Human Gut, Gram-negative Bacteria cause infctions Such as urinary tract infctions (Utis), pneumonia and food poisoning.

They can posse a serious thread to newborns and the elderly alike. Especally vulnerable are hospital patients with weakened immunity, offten Spreading rapidly in icus and proving difficult – impossible addicts – to treates. Treating Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-negative Bacterial Infections is DIUBly difficult Because those bacteria are resistant to some of the shat Powerful antibiotics.

“These infctions are a Daily reality across all age Groups,” Says dr Abdul Ghafur, Infectious Disease at Apollo Hospital in India’s Chennai City. “We often See Patients for WHOM No No Antibiotic Works – and They Die.”

The irony is cruel. While the World Tries to Curb Antibiotic Overuse, A Parallel Tragic Plays Out Quietly in Poorer Nations: People dying from treratable infections the right drugs out of reach.

“For Years, the dominant narrative has ben that antibiotics are being overused, but the stark reality is that many people with highly drug-resistant infctions in Low- and Middle-InCome Countries are not getting Access to the antibiotics,” Sayys Dr Jennifa Cohn, Gardp’s Gardp. Access Director and Senior Author of the Study.

The Study Examinated Eight intravenous Drugs Active Against Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteria-Ranging from Older Antibiotics Including Colistin to Newer As Ceftazidime-Avibactam. Of the Few Avilaable Drugs, Tigecycline was the most widly used.

Researchers Blame the Treatment Gap on Weak Health Systems and Limited Access to Effective Antibiotics.

For Example, Only 103,647 Full Treatment Courses Were Procured of Tigecycline Acoss Eight Countries – Far Short of the 1.5 million patients who Needed say, The Study Found. This Highlighted A Major Shortfall in the Global Response to Drug-Resistant Infactions.

What Prevent Patients with Drug-Resistant Inflection in India from Getting The Right Antibiotics?

Physicians Point to multiple barrier – reaching the right health facility, getting accurat diagnostic tests, and accessing effective drugs. Cost Remains a Major Hurdle, with Many of these antibiotics priced far beyond the reach of poorer patients.

“Those who can affford these antibiotics offten overuse say; THose who can’t, don’t say at all,” Says dr ghafur. “We Need a System That Ensures Access for the Poor and Prevents Misuse by the well-to-do.”

To impro Access, these drugs must be made more affordable. To prevent misuse, Stronger Regulation is Key.

“Ideally, Everybiotic Prescription in Hospitals Should Require a Second Sign -Off – by an infection specialist or microbiologist,” Says Dr Ghafur. “Some hospitals will this, but most don’t. With the right oversight, regulators can enrae this Becomes Standard Practice.”

To fix the Access Problem and Curb Misuse, Both Smarter Police and Stronger Safeguards are essential, Say Researchers. But Access Alone Won’t Solve the Crisis – The Pipeline of New Antibiotics is drying up. The Decline in Antibiotic R&D – and the Limited Avilalbylity of Existting Drugs – is a Global Issue.

India Bears One of the World’s Heaviest Burdens of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), but it May Also Hold the Key to Combating It – Both at home and Globally, Researchers.

“India is Also one of the Larger Markets for New Antibiotics and Can SuccessFully Advocate for the Development and Access of New Antibiotics,” Says Dr Cohn. With a Strong Pharmaceutical Base, the Country is Emerging As a hub for amr innovation, from promising new antibiotics to advanced diagnostics.

Dr. Cohs Says India Can Strengthn Its Antibiotic Response by Generating Local Data to Better Estation and Pinpoint Gaps in the Care Pathway.

This Wold Allow for More Targeted Interventions to Improve Access to the Right Drugs.

Innovative models are Already Emerging-Kerala State, for Instance, is USING A “HUB-AND-SPOKE APPROACH” to support Lower-Level facilities in managing serial infctions. COORDATED OR POOLED PROCUREMENT ACROSS HOSPITALS OR STATES COULD ALSO REDUCE The Cost of Newer Antibiotics, as SEEN with Cancer Drugs, Researchers Say.

Without Access to the Right Antibiotics, Modern Medicine Begins to UNRAVEL – Docrs Risk Ling the Ability to Safely Performs, Treat Complications in Cancer Patients, or Manage Everyday Infactions.

“As an infectious diasease doctor, i see appropriate use as one part – but Only one part – of Access,” Says dr ghafur. “When we get new antibiotics, ITS IMPORTANT TO SAVE IN ONE HAND – AND SAVE THEN FOR RIGHTS PATIENTS.”

Clearly, The Challenge is not just to use antibiotics wisel, but to enure they reach those who need say.