State faces shortage of drug for treating MDR tuberculosis

A drug essential to the treatment of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) has been in short supply for the past month in Mumbai and Maharashtra. However,

A drug essential to the treatment of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) has been in short supply for the past month in Mumbai and Maharashtra. However, the state government can’t float tenders to buy the drug clofazimine until after the Assembly elections.

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According to data provided by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), there were 46,513 general TB cases and 4,969 MDR TB cases in 2018.

Clofazimine is essential for the treatment of MDR-TB and is supplied to the state by the Centre. “We had to procure the drug at the local level due to delay from the Central government. But we have already passed the proposal to procure the medicines. As soon as the election gets over, we will float the tender,” said Anup Kumar Yadav, commissioner (family welfare) and director of National Health Mission, Maharashtra.

Public health experts said clofazimine has been in short supply across the country. “Private clinics are the most affected, but government-run hospitals would soon start feeling the heat,” said Blessi Kumar, of Delhi-based Global Coalition of TB Activists (GCTA). Irregular intake of clofazimine can make patients resistant to the drug. “If patients miss their daily dose of clofazimine, they grow resistant to it and it stops working. We already have limited number of drugs to treat drug-resistant TB and if the available drugs also stop working, it would affect the health of patients further. The government needs to address the issue at the earliest if they really want to make India TB-free,” said Mumbai-based pulmonologist Dr Salil Bendre, who estimated almost 20% of his patients have been affected by the shortage.

While addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said India would be TB-free by 2025. Despite repeated tries, Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, deputy director general of Central TB Division, could not be contacted.