Poorva Chavan
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Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) and Extremely Drug Resistant (XDR) TB is a big concern in a country which bears the highest burden of the disease in the world. Over 2.2 million people in India suffer from TB with over 70,000 cases of MDR-TB.
To tackle this menace, the government is all set out to roll out Bedaquiline, a drug to tackle MDR-TB. The drug is manufactured by the Janssen the pharma arm of Johnson & Johnson. In coordinated programme between the government and Janssen the drug will be made available to 600 patients in six public hospitals across the country.
According to a report in The Times of India, the drug has the potential to improve the outcomes of MDR-TB treatments and also reduce the mortality rate associated with the disease. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, over 100 patients in Mumbai will be enrolled in this country-wide trial and the drugs will be given to drug-resistant patients for 24 weeks. (Read: Latest treatment for extremely drug resistant TB could be the answer to a TB-free India)
The drug will be available through the Revised National Tuberculosis Control programme, and the clinical data will be reviewed, and the programme will be expanded depending on the results.
The pricing of the drug is, however, a very significant concern because MDR-TB drugs cost around $5,000-10,000 per patient which is approximately ten times more than regular TB drugs. This high price is already an enormous burden on National Control programmes. (Read: Should we be cautious about new TB drug?)
The Times of India also reported Janssen is offering the drug in a tiered-pricing structure and the drug will be available to India at a lower price of $900 considering the burden of the disease in the country.
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