The PM Narendra Modi government has supplied over 68 lakh tablets of anti-tuberculosis medicine Bedaquiline and more than 9 lakh tablets of Delamanid across India, according to government data.
There is no shortage of anti-TB drugs in India, Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State (MoS) for health and family welfare, told the Rajya Sabha while sharing the data of drug supplies between April 1, 2021 and March 28, 2022.
Last year, various parts of the country reported that the stock of Delaminid, a key patented drug which is used in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), was over.
The shortage of such medicines could hamper the government’s goal of TB elimination by 2025 – five years ahead of the global target of 2030 – apart from causing hardship and life-threatening complications for patients.
Under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), all drugs are provided for free.
“There is no shortage of drugs Bedaquiline and Delamanid in the country, including the state of Bihar,” Pawar said in response to the question by politician Manoj Kumar Jha on March 29.
She also clarified: “There is no short supply of diagnostic kits required to detect Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in the country, including the state of Bihar.”
On being asked if Delamanid is expensive and efforts have been made to introduce generic versions from domestic manufacturers, Pawar said: “Delamanid has been procured at the rate of Rs 140 per tablet against the global price of almost Rs 190 per tablet.”
The minister clarified that not only for adults, but the pediatric formulation of Bedaquiline, too, has been made available to states. However, she added, that the pediatric formulation for Delamanid is not approved for use in India and hence not available.
Read all the Latest News India and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment