Antibiotics with promise — a lifeline India awaits

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

In the relentless battle against highly drug resistant infections, a team of doctors recently witnessed a glimmer of hope amid the challenges they faced. An Indian innovation was made to deal with drug resistant pathogens.

Promising Antibiotics

An Indian Innovation: A promising antibiotic, cefepime/zidebactam, developed by Indian researchers, combines two active components to combat drug-resistant gram-negative pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Made by Japan: Cederocol, a licenced antibiotic in several countries, developed by a Japanese company, has demonstrated excellent efficacy against drug resistant infections.
This extraordinary case underscores the urgent importance of granting EUA for antibiotics currently in phase 3 trials or licensed from other countries.

Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA):

The Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) authority assists in strengthening the nation’s public health defenses against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats.
It also deals with infectious diseases, by facilitating the availability and use of medical countermeasures (MCMs) required during public health emergencies.

Need for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA)

Antibiotics that have been properly tested or confirmed to be effective in the fight against superbugs are critical.
Millions of lives are lost each year as a result of the inadequacy of current antibiotics in the face of these tough infections.
The lack of effective antibiotics to tackle drug-resistant diseases endangers countless lives.
It is heartbreaking to see patients suffer from diseases simply because available antibiotics have lost their efficacy due to developing resistance.
Drug resistance has rendered previously successful therapies ineffective.

For further notes on Anti-biotic resistance , refer – https://optimizeias.com/antibiotic-resistance/