Chennai: Despite the fact that Bedaquiline - a medicine used to treat Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MTR TB) - hurriedly introduced last year with the motive of making India TB-free, it continues to be in trial and is still available only in six centres in the country. A young girl from Patna was recently denied the ‘Miracle Medicine for TB’ despite being in dire need.
“Though the drug falls under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), as of now, it is used in only six centres around the country in order to check its feasibility,” said Dr Sunil Khaparde, deputy director general, ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India. “When the medicine was initially launched, the patient would have to stay in Tambaram – the only centre in the state where the eligibility test is conducted – for two months for initial treatment. However, now, it just takes two weeks. Following the test, the patient can continue his treatment at the district training office at his district,” said former state TB officer Dr Lakshmi Murali.
Referring to the case of the 18-year-old girl from Patna, Dr Mohan Natarajan, scientist and head of the clinical department, National Institute for Research in TB, said, “As the medicine is still under the trial period, it is not readily available. If the medicine was available and not given to the patient, we could claim that she was denied the same.”
Though the efforts of doctors and scientists in working towards eradicating the disease are being applauded, the need for a more accessible scheme that would provide those, especially in the rural population, with sustainable treatment is felt urgent by the public. Though another medicine called Delamanid was also introduced last year, experts say it may not do any good until infrastructure is stepped up.
