Key Findings:
- Only 7.8% of patients in India with carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative (CRGN) infections received appropriate antibiotics.
- Average appropriate treatment rate across eight LMICs: 6.9%.
- Countries studied: India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa.
- In India (2019), out of ~10 lakh CRGN infections, less than 1 lakh received proper treatment.
- Estimated ~3.5 lakh deaths in India due to lack of appropriate treatment.
Relevance : GS 2(Health)
Research Body:
- Conducted by Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP).
- Data sources: The Lancet’s GRAM study and IQVIA data for 2019.
Study Objectives:
- Evaluate access gap to appropriate antibiotics.
- Map the cascade of care using better data.
- Identify effective antibiotic stewardship programmes or innovations in LMICs.
Implications:
- High morbidity & mortality due to untreated drug-resistant infections.
- Increased healthcare costs and prolonged hospital stays.
- Contradiction in India’s case:
- Overuse and misuse of high-end antibiotics driving resistance.
- Inadequate access to those same antibiotics for patients who truly need them.
Expert View:
- Dr. Abdul Ghafur calls it a “paradox of access”:
- Irrational overuse of critical antibiotics.
- Simultaneously, denial of access to needy patients in critical condition.
- Highlights the urgent need for antibiotic access policies, rational prescribing, and regulatory reforms.
Broader Significance:
- Demonstrates structural gaps in public health systems in LMICs.
- Emphasises need for:
- Equitable drug distribution systems.
- Diagnostic infrastructure to guide targeted antibiotic use.
- International funding and support for antibiotic R&D and access.
