No end to shortage of TB drugs, states asked to buy their own

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Health

Context:

India is facing an acute shortage of tuberculosis drugs, including medicines used for treating drug-resistant TB such as Linezolid, Clofazimine, and Cycloserine.

Why is there a shortage of TB drugs?

It started with shortage of Rifampicin used for treating drug-sensitive TB.
The cases of TB dipped during pandemic.
TB notification by the public sector improving and nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels, drug procurement and supply by the Central government to States has not kept pace, resulting in shortage.
The Central government has not supplied the 3HP combination drug to States since then.

Isoniazid-Rifapentine regimen for MDR-TB:

The new short-course drug regimen of Isoniazid-Rifapentine given once weekly for 12 weeks (3HP) to prevent TB in people with latent TB infection.
- 3HP is a short-course Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment (TPT) regimen which is endorsed by the WHO.
- It combines high dose Isoniazid (H) and high dose rifapentine (P) once weekly for three months.
Tamil Nadu had procured the combination drug for short-course TB Preventive Treatment [TPT], the first State to launch the programme.