India issues guidelines for the sale of antibiotics

The recent death of a woman, who died after contracting an antibiotic-resistant infection has caused the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to issue strict guidelines on the selling of antibiotics by retailers, chemists and drug makers.

An American woman died after contracting an infection in India whilst being treated for a thigh bone fracture. Following her death, numerous tests were carried out which confirmed the presence of a superbug that caused bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 26 different antibiotics failed to cure the woman’s infection.

Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the world’s biggest threats. It’s estimated that by 2050, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will kill up to 10 million people a year.

The misuse of antibiotics is of particular concern within India, where the infectious disease mortality rate is twice as high as it is in the US from when antibiotics were introduced.

Because of the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, it has led to a number of untreatable conditions in India such as neonatal sepsis and healthcare associated infections.

The DCGI is asking companies to carry specified warnings to avoid antimicrobial resistance. It is also asking state drug regulators to take regulatory action on the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics.

To help reduce the misuse of antibiotics, the government has introduced a packaging system to help differentiate high-end antibiotics from other drugs. The red line on these packages has been lauded as a way to be used globally to counter the threat of superbugs.