No end to shortage of TB drugs, states asked to buy their own
- August 24, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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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.
For more on Tuberculosis (TB):https://optimizeias.com/the-road-to-ending-tuberculosis/