In India, bacteria that cause common infections, such as urinary tract and bloodstream infections, are becoming resistant to nearly all antibiotics
An Indian company Alkem (Intenza, critical care division) has announced the launch of its new antibiotic drug against multiple drug-resistant infections in the country. In India, bacteria that cause common infections, such as urinary tract and bloodstream infections, are becoming resistant to nearly all antibiotics. The drug is said to provide a fight against the resistant bacteria causing pyelonephritis or complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and other conditions.
The newly invented drug is a combination of ceftazidime and avibactam (constituents of the medicine) and is recommended by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as a preferred treatment against the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) that cause many common infections. Carbapenems are a class of antibiotics that are effective against many gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. There has been a rise in carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria in India and there is a need for more effective antibiotic treatment. This drug can be a potential treatment against the same.
The available evidence suggests that the new drug is a potential therapeutic option for the treatment of infections complicated by multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms. This combination has also been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) as an effective alternative to drugs used in the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (IAIs).
About the drug
The new antibiotic is available as a sterile powdered concentrate. It is available at an affordable price of Rs. 2,700 per vial. The drug will be indigenously developed (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) API, in the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Sikkim.
Antibiotic resistance in India
As per the CDC, uncontrolled access to antibiotics, gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, and high rates of communicable diseases are resulting in antibiotic resistance that is reducing the usefulness of antibiotics in commonly occurring diseases like UTIs. As per the WHO, a growing number of infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective. It is becoming a serious threat to global health and it also predicts longer stays in hospitals, higher medical costs and high mortality rates.