New drugs still out of reach for most in India, world TB hotspot

By Zeba Siddiqui MUMBAI (Reuters) - The case of a Mumbai tailor cured of an extremely resistant form of tuberculosis this week has revived debate over a new drug to which the Indian government has limited access, prompting calls for change. Dr Zarir Udwadia, the chest physician who treated the tailor, said the government needed to do a “a lot more” to control tuberculosis in India, home to the world’s largest number of TB patients. Experts say the government is hesitant to allow the drug’s wider use as a lack of supervision, incorrect diagnostics and mismanagement of drugs are commonplace in the private sector. Such mismanagement can result in patients developing resistance, which Soumya Swaminathan, Director of India’s National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, said was a major risk.

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