Indian Science and Technology Developments : Updates and Discussions
- Thread starter Gautam
- Start date
It's good that we're getting experience in manufacturing high-precision optics thanks to our participation in the program but I think the TMT program itself is now in a bit of trouble:
NSF Likely to Drop One of Two Giant Telescopes From Consideration for Construction Funds
NSF’s board anticipates the agency will not have enough funds to support construction of both the TMT and GMT, which are competing against an array of other proposed infrastructure projects.
ww2.aip.org
The good thing is, we now have the technical expertise to build our own telescope (probably in Hanle, Ladakh), just a matter of funding it.
Speeding on the digital freeway
Be it quantum computing or AI, Indian govt and private players are taking up the development of new-age tech on mission mode. There can't be any let-up now
Ajay Sukumaran
UPDATED: Aug 20, 2024, 15:15 IST
The Quantum Measurement and Control Lab at TIFR, Mumbai. Photo: Mandar Deodhar.
At the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, work to build India’s first quantum computer is nearing completion. When ready, this small-scale quantum computer will be a significant milestone for TIFR’s Quantum Measurement and Control (QuMaC) lab, established 12 years ago to address fundamental challenges in building quantum systems.
Dr R. Vijayaraghavan, who heads QuMaC, sees the project as a crucial first step for India that will “allow us to get into this game”. The project they are working on, in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), involves designing key components, such as the quantum processing unit, electronics and software each of which presents multiple levels of complexity.
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research's (TIFR's) Jay Deshmukh (left) and Binoy Nambiar of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) working on a dilution refrigerator used to cool superconducting qubits. Photo: Mandar Deodhar.
A quantum bit or qubit is the basic unit of a quantum computing system. Think of it as the equivalent of bits, building blocks of the conventional computers. But while a bit exists in binaries (of either 0 or 1), a qubit can hold both values at the same time. This ability to be in multiple states simultaneously is known as superposition, which means a quantum computer can theoretically tackle far more complex calculations than even the most powerful supercomputer today.
For example, it could easily break all the secure algorithmic codes that we rely on today for banking transactions, military communication etc. Or take the case of drug discovery, where there’s a need to simulate molecules in various states, or supply-chain logistics, where the goal is to arrive at the most optimal procedure quantum computers could offer a disruptive advantage in carrying out all such functions. That’s the reason quantum computing, along with Artificial Intelligence (AI), features on the list of ‘critical’ technologies on the national agendas of most countries.
Globally, funding announcements into quantum technologies by various governments over the years touched $42 billion (Rs 3.5 lakh crore, at the current exchange rate) in 2023, according to McKinsey’s Quantum Technology Monitor published in April this year. India, too, announced a National Quantum Mission in April 2023, for which Rs 6,000 crore has been earmarked up to 2030-31. “Quantum technology is the new technology frontier, reached after decades of fundamental research,” said Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, in a release issued on April 14, celebrated as World Quantum Day.
Technology | Speeding on the digital freeway
Be it quantum computing or AI, Indian govt and private players are taking up the development of new-age tech on mission mode. There can't be any let-up now
Ajay Sukumaran
UPDATED: Aug 20, 2024, 15:15 IST
The Quantum Measurement and Control Lab at TIFR, Mumbai. Photo: Mandar Deodhar.
At the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, work to build India’s first quantum computer is nearing completion. When ready, this small-scale quantum computer will be a significant milestone for TIFR’s Quantum Measurement and Control (QuMaC) lab, established 12 years ago to address fundamental challenges in building quantum systems.
Dr R. Vijayaraghavan, who heads QuMaC, sees the project as a crucial first step for India that will “allow us to get into this game”. The project they are working on, in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), involves designing key components, such as the quantum processing unit, electronics and software each of which presents multiple levels of complexity.
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research's (TIFR's) Jay Deshmukh (left) and Binoy Nambiar of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) working on a dilution refrigerator used to cool superconducting qubits. Photo: Mandar Deodhar.
A quantum bit or qubit is the basic unit of a quantum computing system. Think of it as the equivalent of bits, building blocks of the conventional computers. But while a bit exists in binaries (of either 0 or 1), a qubit can hold both values at the same time. This ability to be in multiple states simultaneously is known as superposition, which means a quantum computer can theoretically tackle far more complex calculations than even the most powerful supercomputer today.
For example, it could easily break all the secure algorithmic codes that we rely on today for banking transactions, military communication etc. Or take the case of drug discovery, where there’s a need to simulate molecules in various states, or supply-chain logistics, where the goal is to arrive at the most optimal procedure quantum computers could offer a disruptive advantage in carrying out all such functions. That’s the reason quantum computing, along with Artificial Intelligence (AI), features on the list of ‘critical’ technologies on the national agendas of most countries.
Globally, funding announcements into quantum technologies by various governments over the years touched $42 billion (Rs 3.5 lakh crore, at the current exchange rate) in 2023, according to McKinsey’s Quantum Technology Monitor published in April this year. India, too, announced a National Quantum Mission in April 2023, for which Rs 6,000 crore has been earmarked up to 2030-31. “Quantum technology is the new technology frontier, reached after decades of fundamental research,” said Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, in a release issued on April 14, celebrated as World Quantum Day.
Technology | Speeding on the digital freeway
All about nafithromycin, first antibiotic developed in India against deadly, drug-resistant bacteria
Developed by Mumbai-based Wockhardt, it will be available under brand name Miqnaf. Administering it once-a-day for 3 days could be significant in addressing drug-resistant pneumonia.
By Sumi Sukanya Dutta
28 November 2024 03:18 pm IST
New Delhi: There is good news for clinicians and doctors struggling to save patients from infections by deadly bacteria—the soft launch of nafithromycin, India’s first indigenously developed antibiotic, last week.
Bacterial infections can lead to death in patients when pathogens no longer respond to existing antibiotics—a condition commonly called antimicrobial resistance or AMR.
Nafithromycin is effective against multiple drug-resistant pathogens, with Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh calling it a breakthrough innovation in India’s fight against antimicrobial resistance.
Mumbai-based Wockhardt Limited developed Nafithromycin with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Centre’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
The medicine will be available under the brand name Miqnaf.
It would treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), a lower respiratory tract infection, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly and immunocompromised hosts such as patients with diabetes and cancers.
In phase 3 clinical trials, the medicine showed more than a 97 percent efficacy rate in treating pneumonia.
According to details shared by Wockhardt and the government, the drug paves the way for the first-ever once-a-day, three-day treatment for patients of CABP, including those caused by multi-drug resistant bugs.
Top functionaries in the government said the three-day treatment regimen could be a game-changer in addressing drug-resistant pneumonia, a condition responsible for over 24 lakh deaths globally each year.
The subject expert committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the apex drug regulator in India, has approved the drug for manufacturing and marketing. It is awaiting a formal nod by the Drug Controller General of India before hitting the market.
Massive AMR challenge
According to government estimates, India bears 23 percent of the world’s community pneumonia burden or logs nearly 40 lakh cases a year, with case fatality rates between 14 and 30 percent. Children under five years and the elderly are the most affected.
The country, experts said, has been facing challenges with existing treatments, such as widespread resistance to drugs such as azithromycin, a commonly used antibiotic. Nearly 20-30 percent of CABP cases do not respond to oral antibiotics, forcing clinicians to recommend hospitalisation and subsequent administration of injectables for patients.
Some experts ThePrint spoke with underlined that the development of nafithromycin is significant, given the stagnation in approvals for new, wide-spectrum antibiotics since the late 1980s despite pneumonia leading to several million deaths annually worldwide.
“Antibiotics that are less effective lengthen the duration of illnesses and raise morbidity and mortality and lead to increased costs for healthcare due to the need for more diagnostic tests, second-line antibiotics, and longer hospital stays,” Dr Sunil Havannavar, internal medicine specialist with Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru, pointed out.
He said that novel drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant diseases are crucial as innovative treatments aim to get around resistance mechanisms or combat bacterial infections in entirely different ways.
Took 14 years to develop
The discovery and development of nafithromycin spanned over 14 years. Before the late-stage trials of the drug in India, it completed multiple phase 1 studies and a global phase 2 trial in the US and Europe.
Nafithromycin belongs to a class of novel lactone ketolide or a semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotic that exhibits enhanced activity against multiple drug-resistant bacteria. The drug is designed for administration through an ultra-short—once-a-day, three-day—therapy because it can stay in the lungs for long durations.
Scientific evidence has shown that Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common organism behind CABP, accounting for 33 percent of the cases, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (23 percent), Staphylococcus aureus (10 percent), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila accounting for seven percent of cases each.
However, two of the most common bacteria causing the illness—S pneumoniae and K pneumoniae—are fast becoming resistant to the existing antibiotics.
Nafithromycin belongs to a class of antibiotics called macrolide antibiotics, which treat various infections and have been found ten times more effective than azithromycin. Another remarkable feature is that the drug is highly active against azithromycin-, amoxicillin- or clavulanate-resistant S pneumoniae.
Beyond its efficacy, nafithromycin boasts superior safety and tolerability, said the government, adding that the antibiotic has minimal gastrointestinal side effects, no significant drug interactions, and remains unaffected by food, making it a versatile option for patients.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
All about nafithromycin, first antibiotic developed in India against deadly, drug-resistant bacteria
Developed by Mumbai-based Wockhardt, it will be available under brand name Miqnaf. Administering it once-a-day for 3 days could be significant in addressing drug-resistant pneumonia.
By Sumi Sukanya Dutta
28 November 2024 03:18 pm IST
New Delhi: There is good news for clinicians and doctors struggling to save patients from infections by deadly bacteria—the soft launch of nafithromycin, India’s first indigenously developed antibiotic, last week.
Bacterial infections can lead to death in patients when pathogens no longer respond to existing antibiotics—a condition commonly called antimicrobial resistance or AMR.
Nafithromycin is effective against multiple drug-resistant pathogens, with Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh calling it a breakthrough innovation in India’s fight against antimicrobial resistance.
Mumbai-based Wockhardt Limited developed Nafithromycin with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Centre’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
The medicine will be available under the brand name Miqnaf.
It would treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), a lower respiratory tract infection, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly and immunocompromised hosts such as patients with diabetes and cancers.
In phase 3 clinical trials, the medicine showed more than a 97 percent efficacy rate in treating pneumonia.
According to details shared by Wockhardt and the government, the drug paves the way for the first-ever once-a-day, three-day treatment for patients of CABP, including those caused by multi-drug resistant bugs.
Top functionaries in the government said the three-day treatment regimen could be a game-changer in addressing drug-resistant pneumonia, a condition responsible for over 24 lakh deaths globally each year.
The subject expert committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the apex drug regulator in India, has approved the drug for manufacturing and marketing. It is awaiting a formal nod by the Drug Controller General of India before hitting the market.
Massive AMR challenge
According to government estimates, India bears 23 percent of the world’s community pneumonia burden or logs nearly 40 lakh cases a year, with case fatality rates between 14 and 30 percent. Children under five years and the elderly are the most affected.
The country, experts said, has been facing challenges with existing treatments, such as widespread resistance to drugs such as azithromycin, a commonly used antibiotic. Nearly 20-30 percent of CABP cases do not respond to oral antibiotics, forcing clinicians to recommend hospitalisation and subsequent administration of injectables for patients.
Some experts ThePrint spoke with underlined that the development of nafithromycin is significant, given the stagnation in approvals for new, wide-spectrum antibiotics since the late 1980s despite pneumonia leading to several million deaths annually worldwide.
“Antibiotics that are less effective lengthen the duration of illnesses and raise morbidity and mortality and lead to increased costs for healthcare due to the need for more diagnostic tests, second-line antibiotics, and longer hospital stays,” Dr Sunil Havannavar, internal medicine specialist with Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru, pointed out.
He said that novel drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant diseases are crucial as innovative treatments aim to get around resistance mechanisms or combat bacterial infections in entirely different ways.
Took 14 years to develop
The discovery and development of nafithromycin spanned over 14 years. Before the late-stage trials of the drug in India, it completed multiple phase 1 studies and a global phase 2 trial in the US and Europe.
Nafithromycin belongs to a class of novel lactone ketolide or a semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotic that exhibits enhanced activity against multiple drug-resistant bacteria. The drug is designed for administration through an ultra-short—once-a-day, three-day—therapy because it can stay in the lungs for long durations.
Scientific evidence has shown that Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common organism behind CABP, accounting for 33 percent of the cases, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (23 percent), Staphylococcus aureus (10 percent), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila accounting for seven percent of cases each.
However, two of the most common bacteria causing the illness—S pneumoniae and K pneumoniae—are fast becoming resistant to the existing antibiotics.
Nafithromycin belongs to a class of antibiotics called macrolide antibiotics, which treat various infections and have been found ten times more effective than azithromycin. Another remarkable feature is that the drug is highly active against azithromycin-, amoxicillin- or clavulanate-resistant S pneumoniae.
Beyond its efficacy, nafithromycin boasts superior safety and tolerability, said the government, adding that the antibiotic has minimal gastrointestinal side effects, no significant drug interactions, and remains unaffected by food, making it a versatile option for patients.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
All about nafithromycin, first antibiotic developed in India against deadly, drug-resistant bacteria
LIGO India Facility Inaugurated: Gateway to Gravitational Wave Research in India. Dr. A.K. Mohanty, Secretary, DAE & Chairman, AEC, inaugurated the Testing and Training Facility for LIGO-India at RRCAT, Indore.
This RRCAT facility will serve as an assembly and staging lab for LIGO India Detector subsystems while construction progresses at the main project site. It will also support pump-down testing of indigenously fabricated prototype LIGO vacuum chambers.
India's 'blockbuster' drugs to take on deadly superbugs
3 days ago
Soutik Biswas
India correspondent
Drug-resistant infections are most prevalent in critical care units.
Antibiotics are hailed as medical saviours.
But they are increasingly facing a crafty adversary: bacteria that mutate and adapt and outwit the very drugs designed to defeat them and cure the infections they cause.
These antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" directly caused 1.14 million deaths worldwide in 2021, according to The Lancet, a medical journal. Antibiotics - which are considered to be the first line of defence against severe infections - did not work on most of these cases.
India is among the countries hardest hit by "antimicrobial resistance". In 2019 alone, antibiotic-resistant infections caused around 300,000 deaths. They alone are responsible for the deaths of nearly 60,000 newborns each year.
But some hope is on the horizon. A number of promising locally developed new drugs show potential to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens. They also offer a game-changing solution to preserve last-resort treatments.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a drug-resistant bacteria, is a major concern for doctors.
Enmetazobactam, developed by Chennai-based Orchid Pharma, is the first antimicrobial invented in India to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This injectable drug treats severe conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia and bloodstream infections by targeting bacteria’s defence mechanisms rather than the bacteria itself.
Bacteria often produce enzymes, like beta-lactamase, to destroy antibiotics. Enmetazobactam binds tightly to those enzymes, neutralising them and allowing the antibiotic to kill the bacteria effectively.
To put it simply, the drug immobilises the bacteria’s "weapon" without triggering resistance easily. This also preserves the effectiveness of other antibiotics, including carbapenems, which are the reliable “last line of defence” drugs.
Trials across 19 countries - the drug has been approved by global regulators - with more than 1,000 patients have shown its effectiveness. “The drug has shown remarkable potency against these bacteria that have evolved over the years. It is administered via intravenous [IV] infusion in hospitals, specifically for critically ill patients, and is not available over the counter,” Dr Maneesh Paul, the lead co-inventor of the drug, told the BBC.
Mumbai-based Wockhardt is testing a new antibiotic, called Zaynich, for severe drug-resistant infections. Developed over 25 years, the drug is currently in Phase-3 trials and expected to launch next year.
Dr Habib Khorakiwala, founder chairman of Wockhardt, has described Zaynich as a "ground-breaking, one-of-its-kind new antibiotic designed to combat all major superbugs". It was administered on compassionate grounds to 30 critically ill patients in India who were unresponsive to any other antibiotics. Remarkably, all survived. "This would make India proud," Dr Khorakiwala said.
Mumbai-based Wockhardt is testing promising new antibiotics that will work on drug-resistant bacteria.
Also, in Phase-3 testing is Wockhardt's Nafithromycin, trademarked as MIQNAF, a three-day oral treatment for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia with a 97% success rate. Existing treatments to the disease have resistance as high as 60%. Its trials are set to conclude next year and once it's approved, the company says it could be launched commercially by late next year.
A 30-member Bengaluru-based biopharma firm Bugworks Research has partnered with Geneva-based non-profit Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, or GARDP, to develop a new class of antibiotics for treating serious drug-resistant infections. Currently in early Phase-1 trials, the drug is five-to-eight years from market readiness.
"Antibiotics are becoming less effective, but big money is in drugs for cancer, diabetes and other conditions, not antibiotics," Anand Anandkumar, CEO of Bugworks, told the BBC. "There's little innovation because antibiotics are kept as a last-resort option. Big pharma isn't focusing on antibiotic resistance. We've been funded by different organisations, but less than 10% of our funding comes from India."
But that needs to change. A 2023 drug resistance surveillance report by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which analysed nearly 100,000 bacterial cultures from 21 specialised care hospitals around India, highlighted worrying trends in antibiotic resistance.
E.coli (Escherichia coli), commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals after consumption of contaminated food, was the most frequently isolated pathogen.
This was followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia and also infect the blood, cuts in the skin and the lining of the brain to cause meningitis. Coming close was the rise of the multidrug-resistant pathogen called Acinetobacter baumannii, which attacks the lungs of patients on life support in critical care units.
The survey found antibiotic effectiveness against E.coli had consistently sharply declined while Klebsiella pneumoniae showed an alarming rise in drug resistance. Doctors found that some of the main antibiotics were less than 15% effective in treating infections caused by these pathogens. Most worrying was the rising resistance to carbapenems, a critical last-resort antibiotic.
Doctors say antibiotic prescription practices in India urgently need reform.
"It's like playing whack-a-mole with bacteria. They evolve at an incredibly fast pace, and we’re always playing catch-up. You get rid of one, another pops up. We need more innovation and to learn from past mistakes," Dr Manica Balasegaram, executive director of GARDP, told the BBC.
Not surprisingly, GARDP is focussing on India. It’s collaborating with Hyderabad-based Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services to produce zoliflodacin, a novel oral antibiotic for gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease which is showing increasing resistance to antibiotics. GARDP has also partnered with Japan's pharma company Shionogi to distribute cefiderocol - a breakthrough FDA-approved antibiotic for tough infections like UTIs and hospital-acquired pneumonia - in 135 countries, with plans for production in India.
But this is only one part of the story. Doctors say drug prescription practices in India urgently need reform. The widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics - they target many bacteria types but can kill good bacteria, cause side-effects and increase antibiotic resistance - fuels drug resistance by encouraging the emergence of drug resistant bacterial mutants.
Instead, say doctors, narrow-spectrum antibiotics should be prioritised. But hospitals often lack antibiograms - microbiology-based antibiotic guidelines - forcing doctors to prescribe "broadly and blindly".
India's crowded hospitals are hotspots for infections.
"I am definitely excited that we will have these new drugs. But what is also important is that we should create mechanisms that they should not be misused the way we have previously done with [what were once also] blockbuster drugs. Improper and irresponsible use will compromise the longevity of these new drugs," warns Dr Kamini Walia, a scientist at ICMR.
The rapid mutation of bacteria, which can evolve in a matter of hours, underscores the urgency of a holistic approach. This includes reducing infections through better water, sanitation and hygiene, improving vaccine uptake, strengthening hospital infection control policies, educating physicians and deterring self-medication by patients. “Combating antimicrobial resistance is a complex, multi-faceted challenge tied to healthcare equity and systemic accountability,” says Dr Walia.
The message is clear: without urgent action, we risk a future where even relatively minor infections could become untreatable.
India's 'blockbuster' drugs to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs
3 days ago
Soutik Biswas
India correspondent
Drug-resistant infections are most prevalent in critical care units.
Antibiotics are hailed as medical saviours.
But they are increasingly facing a crafty adversary: bacteria that mutate and adapt and outwit the very drugs designed to defeat them and cure the infections they cause.
These antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" directly caused 1.14 million deaths worldwide in 2021, according to The Lancet, a medical journal. Antibiotics - which are considered to be the first line of defence against severe infections - did not work on most of these cases.
India is among the countries hardest hit by "antimicrobial resistance". In 2019 alone, antibiotic-resistant infections caused around 300,000 deaths. They alone are responsible for the deaths of nearly 60,000 newborns each year.
But some hope is on the horizon. A number of promising locally developed new drugs show potential to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens. They also offer a game-changing solution to preserve last-resort treatments.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a drug-resistant bacteria, is a major concern for doctors.
Enmetazobactam, developed by Chennai-based Orchid Pharma, is the first antimicrobial invented in India to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This injectable drug treats severe conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia and bloodstream infections by targeting bacteria’s defence mechanisms rather than the bacteria itself.
Bacteria often produce enzymes, like beta-lactamase, to destroy antibiotics. Enmetazobactam binds tightly to those enzymes, neutralising them and allowing the antibiotic to kill the bacteria effectively.
To put it simply, the drug immobilises the bacteria’s "weapon" without triggering resistance easily. This also preserves the effectiveness of other antibiotics, including carbapenems, which are the reliable “last line of defence” drugs.
Trials across 19 countries - the drug has been approved by global regulators - with more than 1,000 patients have shown its effectiveness. “The drug has shown remarkable potency against these bacteria that have evolved over the years. It is administered via intravenous [IV] infusion in hospitals, specifically for critically ill patients, and is not available over the counter,” Dr Maneesh Paul, the lead co-inventor of the drug, told the BBC.
Mumbai-based Wockhardt is testing a new antibiotic, called Zaynich, for severe drug-resistant infections. Developed over 25 years, the drug is currently in Phase-3 trials and expected to launch next year.
Dr Habib Khorakiwala, founder chairman of Wockhardt, has described Zaynich as a "ground-breaking, one-of-its-kind new antibiotic designed to combat all major superbugs". It was administered on compassionate grounds to 30 critically ill patients in India who were unresponsive to any other antibiotics. Remarkably, all survived. "This would make India proud," Dr Khorakiwala said.
Mumbai-based Wockhardt is testing promising new antibiotics that will work on drug-resistant bacteria.
Also, in Phase-3 testing is Wockhardt's Nafithromycin, trademarked as MIQNAF, a three-day oral treatment for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia with a 97% success rate. Existing treatments to the disease have resistance as high as 60%. Its trials are set to conclude next year and once it's approved, the company says it could be launched commercially by late next year.
A 30-member Bengaluru-based biopharma firm Bugworks Research has partnered with Geneva-based non-profit Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, or GARDP, to develop a new class of antibiotics for treating serious drug-resistant infections. Currently in early Phase-1 trials, the drug is five-to-eight years from market readiness.
"Antibiotics are becoming less effective, but big money is in drugs for cancer, diabetes and other conditions, not antibiotics," Anand Anandkumar, CEO of Bugworks, told the BBC. "There's little innovation because antibiotics are kept as a last-resort option. Big pharma isn't focusing on antibiotic resistance. We've been funded by different organisations, but less than 10% of our funding comes from India."
But that needs to change. A 2023 drug resistance surveillance report by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which analysed nearly 100,000 bacterial cultures from 21 specialised care hospitals around India, highlighted worrying trends in antibiotic resistance.
E.coli (Escherichia coli), commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals after consumption of contaminated food, was the most frequently isolated pathogen.
This was followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia and also infect the blood, cuts in the skin and the lining of the brain to cause meningitis. Coming close was the rise of the multidrug-resistant pathogen called Acinetobacter baumannii, which attacks the lungs of patients on life support in critical care units.
The survey found antibiotic effectiveness against E.coli had consistently sharply declined while Klebsiella pneumoniae showed an alarming rise in drug resistance. Doctors found that some of the main antibiotics were less than 15% effective in treating infections caused by these pathogens. Most worrying was the rising resistance to carbapenems, a critical last-resort antibiotic.
Doctors say antibiotic prescription practices in India urgently need reform.
"It's like playing whack-a-mole with bacteria. They evolve at an incredibly fast pace, and we’re always playing catch-up. You get rid of one, another pops up. We need more innovation and to learn from past mistakes," Dr Manica Balasegaram, executive director of GARDP, told the BBC.
Not surprisingly, GARDP is focussing on India. It’s collaborating with Hyderabad-based Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services to produce zoliflodacin, a novel oral antibiotic for gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease which is showing increasing resistance to antibiotics. GARDP has also partnered with Japan's pharma company Shionogi to distribute cefiderocol - a breakthrough FDA-approved antibiotic for tough infections like UTIs and hospital-acquired pneumonia - in 135 countries, with plans for production in India.
But this is only one part of the story. Doctors say drug prescription practices in India urgently need reform. The widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics - they target many bacteria types but can kill good bacteria, cause side-effects and increase antibiotic resistance - fuels drug resistance by encouraging the emergence of drug resistant bacterial mutants.
Instead, say doctors, narrow-spectrum antibiotics should be prioritised. But hospitals often lack antibiograms - microbiology-based antibiotic guidelines - forcing doctors to prescribe "broadly and blindly".
India's crowded hospitals are hotspots for infections.
"I am definitely excited that we will have these new drugs. But what is also important is that we should create mechanisms that they should not be misused the way we have previously done with [what were once also] blockbuster drugs. Improper and irresponsible use will compromise the longevity of these new drugs," warns Dr Kamini Walia, a scientist at ICMR.
The rapid mutation of bacteria, which can evolve in a matter of hours, underscores the urgency of a holistic approach. This includes reducing infections through better water, sanitation and hygiene, improving vaccine uptake, strengthening hospital infection control policies, educating physicians and deterring self-medication by patients. “Combating antimicrobial resistance is a complex, multi-faceted challenge tied to healthcare equity and systemic accountability,” says Dr Walia.
The message is clear: without urgent action, we risk a future where even relatively minor infections could become untreatable.
India's 'blockbuster' drugs to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs
