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The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Only 8% of bacterial infections in India treated appropriately in 2019: Lancet study
Only about 8% of bacterial infections detected in 2019 in India were treated appropriately, according to an analysis of low- and middle-income countries. Rising threat of drug-resistant infections Findings published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal show that in 2019, there were nearly 15 lakh bacterial infections resistant to carbapenems -- a common antibiotic -- across eight countries that were under study. Carbapenems are used for treating severe infections -- such as those acquired from being inside a hospital, where bacteria resistant to antibiotics are abundant. Of the 15 lakh bacterial infections, only over a lakh treatment courses were procured -- the resulting treatment gap meant that only 6.9% of the patients were treated appropriately, researchers, including those from the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), Switzerland, found. Treatment gaps in low- and middle-income countries "India procured most of the treatment courses (80.5 per cent; 83,468 courses), with 7.8% of infections treated appropriately," the authors wrote. The eight countries that were part of the study included Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mexico. The most-procured antibiotic was tigecycline -- usually prescribed in hospitals for serious infections. Most of the 15 lakh infections were found to have occurred in South Asia, with over 10 lakh infections estimated to have occurred in India. Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance and need for better action plans Antibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistance is emerging as a major public health, with a 2024 Lancet study projecting over 39 million around the world could die due to such infections in the coming 25 years -- most of these could occur in South Asia, it said. The study also estimated that over a million died every year during 1990-2021 from antibiotic resistance, in which disease-causing bacteria become immune to drugs developed to kill them, thereby rendering these drugs ineffective. For this study, data from a systematic analysis of the burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance from 1990 to 2021 -- named 'GRAM' study -- was analysed, along with that from a health-care database managed by IQVIA, a US-based life sciences company. The authors said the findings highlight the most recently available picture of the state of care for antimicrobial-resistant infections in the selected low- and middle-income countries. The results also underscore the need for meaningful action by global and national policy makers, the team said.
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Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Just 8% of bacterial infections in India treated aptly in 2019: Report
Only about eight per cent of bacterial infections detected in 2019 in India were treated appropriately, according to an analysis of low- and middle-income countries. Findings published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal show that in 2019, there were nearly 15 lakh bacterial infections resistant to carbapenems -- a common antibiotic -- across eight countries that were under study. Carbapenems are used for treating severe infections -- such as those acquired from being inside a hospital, where bacteria resistant to antibiotics are abundant. Of the 15 lakh bacterial infections, only over a lakh treatment courses were procured -- the resulting treatment gap meant that only 6.9 per cent of the patients were treated appropriately, researchers, including those from the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), Switzerland, found. "India procured most of the treatment courses (80.5 per cent; 83,468 courses), with 7.8 per cent of infections treated appropriately," the authors wrote. The eight countries that were part of the study included Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mexico. The most-procured antibiotic was tigecycline -- usually prescribed in hospitals for serious infections. Most of the 15 lakh infections were found to have occurred in South Asia, with over 10 lakh infections estimated to have occurred in India. Antibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistance is emerging as a major public health, with a 2024 Lancet study projecting over 39 million around the world could die due to such infections in the coming 25 years -- most of these could occur in South Asia, it said. The study also estimated that over a million died every year during 1990-2021 from antibiotic resistance, in which disease-causing bacteria become immune to drugs developed to kill them, thereby rendering these drugs ineffective. For this study, data from a systematic analysis of the burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance from 1990 to 2021 -- named 'GRAM' study -- was analysed, along with that from a health-care database managed by IQVIA, a US-based life sciences company. The authors said the findings highlight the most recently available picture of the state of care for antimicrobial-resistant infections in the selected low- and middle-income countries. The results also underscore the need for meaningful action by global and national policy makers, the team said.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Only 8 pc of bacterial infections in India treated appropriately in 2019: Lancet study
New Delhi: Only about eight per cent of bacterial infections detected in 2019 in India were treated appropriately, according to an analysis of low- and middle-income countries. Findings published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal show that in 2019, there were nearly 15 lakh bacterial infections resistant to carbapenems -- a common antibiotic -- across eight countries that were under study. Carbapenems are used for treating severe infections -- such as those acquired from being inside a hospital, where bacteria resistant to antibiotics are abundant. Of the 15 lakh bacterial infections, only over a lakh treatment courses were procured -- the resulting treatment gap meant that only 6.9 per cent of the patients were treated appropriately, researchers, including those from the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), Switzerland, found. "India procured most of the treatment courses (80.5 per cent; 83,468 courses), with 7.8 per cent of infections treated appropriately," the authors wrote. The eight countries that were part of the study included Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mexico. The most-procured antibiotic was tigecycline -- usually prescribed in hospitals for serious infections. Most of the 15 lakh infections were found to have occurred in South Asia, with over 10 lakh infections estimated to have occurred in India. Antibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistance is emerging as a major public health , with a 2024 Lancet study projecting over 39 million around the world could die due to such infections in the coming 25 years -- most of these could occur in South Asia, it said. The study also estimated that over a million died every year during 1990-2021 from antibiotic resistance , in which disease-causing bacteria become immune to drugs developed to kill them, thereby rendering these drugs ineffective. For this study, data from a systematic analysis of the burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance from 1990 to 2021 -- named 'GRAM' study -- was analysed, along with that from a health-care database managed by IQVIA, a US-based life sciences company. The authors said the findings highlight the most recently available picture of the state of care for antimicrobial-resistant infections in the selected low- and middle-income countries. The results also underscore the need for meaningful action by global and national policy makers, the team said.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Study highlights lack of access to right antibiotics in eight countries
Only 7.8% of patients with drug-resistant infections in India received an appropriate antibiotic, a study of eight nations published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal has revealed. Lack of access to appropriate treatment for such serious infections increases morbidity and mortality, besides driving up health care costs and prolonging hospitalisation. Research carried out by Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), a non-profit health organisation, has revealed that a significant number of multidrug-resistant infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including India, are not being treated appropriately, because of large gaps in access. The study looked at which antibiotics were available to treat nearly 1.5 million cases of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative (CRGN) infections across eight geographically diverse and populous LMICs — Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa. India's 7.8% measures are against an average of 6.9% across all eight countries. The study was undertaken to establish the barriers along the treatment pathway from initial presentation at the health facility to laboratory diagnostic testing to antibiotic access. Two key parameters The researchers defined and estimated two key parameters — the need for treatment or total number of resistant bacterial infections; the number of individuals potentially initiated on appropriate treatment, specifically focusing on CRGN infections. Researchers used The Lancet's 'Global Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance' (GRAM) study and IQVIA data for 2019 to arrive at the numbers. 'We were looking at three aspects,' explains Jennifer Cohn, GARDP's Global Access Director and senior author of the study. 'These were: To evaluate the access to antibiotics gap; create better data that will be an imperative to better define the cascade of care; and look at strong programmes or innovations that enabled better antibiotics stewardship in nations.' While the study only focused on eight countries, including India, she said there was a good reason to believe that the findings from this study also apply to other LMICs. 'We all know that high-end antibiotics are extensively overused and misused in countries like India, contributing significantly to resistance against these life-saving drugs. But this paper reminds us of an equally alarming issue — lack of access to these same antibiotics,' says Abdul Ghafur, infectious diseases specialist and founder, AMR Declaration Trust. 'In 2019, India had nearly 10 lakh carbapenem-resistant gram-negative infections, yet less than 1 lakh patients received appropriate treatment. The modelling suggests that around 3.5 lakh deaths occurred due to these infections. So we are caught in a paradox — irrational overuse on one end, and insufficient access on the other,' he added. 'To address this dual crisis, we must act on both fronts: preserve existing antibiotics through responsible use and ensure access to those who genuinely need them,' Dr. Ghafur further suggested. In the paper, authored by Anant Mishra et al, the recommendations are to set in place regulatory guardrails that will not only control antibiotics use, but also make sure that the access gap is bridged by nations and institutions. They also call for more research to better understand the barriers in accessing care, diagnoses and appropriate treatment.
