As India strengthens its fight against antimicrobial resistant superbugs, the drug regulator is considering a proposal to change the colour of all antimicrobial drug strips from regular to blue. The goal is to make consumers aware that the drug they are about to take is not an ordinary one.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria and other pathogens develop resistance to antibiotics or other drugs, making medicines ineffective when people become ill and need them the most.
The move holds importance as new data shows that in 2019, bacterial antimicrobial resistance was responsible for the deaths of 3-10.4 lakh people in India, according to the new Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project, findings of which were published in The Lancet on Tuesday.
Findings also said that over 39 crore deaths — caused directly or indirectly by antibiotic-resistant infections — are estimated to occur worldwide by 2050.
Antimicrobial drugs include antibiotics, antiviral, anti-parasites, and antifungal. The proposal was submitted to the apex panel, the Drug Consultative Committee (DCC), of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
According to the minutes of the meeting, seen by News18, “insertion of new rules under Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules, for manufacturing Blue colour strips for antimicrobials” is one of the three proposals the panel was asked to consider for tackling the issue of AMR.
While the panel did not comment on the proposal in the meeting, it is likely to be taken up again.
“In the upcoming meetings, the proposal will be considered again as India needs to take strong steps in curbing AMR,” a senior government official from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told News18 requesting anonymity.
“A strong pharma lobby doesn’t want to make this effort as it will involve some additional investments in making this change. The idea is to send a message to consumers that the colour of the medicine has been changed because the drug is not safe for long term use or self-consumption. We can start by changing the color of strips of antibiotics and later move on to other categories such as anti-finagle and vitals.”
Details given to the panel
According to the minutes of the meeting, DCC was briefed about AMR and how it has been recognised as a serious and growing threat to public health.
The panel was informed that under the Indian Presidency, the G-20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration has decided that “implement and prioritise tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) following the One Health approach, including through research and development, infection prevention and control, as well as antimicrobial stewardship efforts within respective national action plans through AMR and antimicrobial consumption surveillance”.
The committee further was apprised about other proposals that can be implemented in order to curb AMR.
The panel was informed about the proposal for uniform implementation of Schedule H and H1 drugs by state drugs controllers through enforcement activities. These schedules pertain to medicines, especially third and fourth-generation antibiotics, which cannot be sold without prescription. The idea is to tighten the noose around the sale of these drugs without prescription at pharmacy outlets.
Recently, the Kerala government has made a move where antibiotics will be sold only in blue envelopes mainly to help people distinguish antibiotics from other drugs. The move is part of the steps initiated by the state’s health ministry to curb the excessive use of antibiotics under the Rage on Antimicrobial Resistance (ROAR) programme.
The latest report published in The Lancet said 29.9 lakh people in India died either directly from sepsis — an extreme reaction to infection — or from conditions linked to it.
It said managing infections like sepsis has become increasingly difficult due to AMR. It also noted that nearly 60 per cent of sepsis-related deaths in 2019 were caused by bacterial infections, with the remaining 40 per cent attributed to viruses, fungi, and parasites.
Comments
0 comment