No shortage of anti-TB drugs in country, six months stock available: Govt

There is no shortage of anti-tuberculosis drugs in the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a press release on Wednesday.

This comes after the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, had asked a question regarding the shortage of anti-TB drugs in the country.

“There has been regular supply of Anti-TB drugs to all the States/Union Territories from the central level under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) throughout the year and regular assessments are conducted to evaluate the stock positions at various levels, from central warehouses to peripheral health institutes,” the ministry said in its response.

 

Addressing an official event at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi on Wednesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the government has initiated healthcare reforms in an effort to make India TB-free by 2025.

The total stock available of anti-TB drugs such as Linezolid, Clofazimine, Moxifloxacin, Rifampicin, and Delamanid will last for more than six more months, according to government figures.

The treatment of drug-sensitive tuberculosis consists of two months of four drugs available as 4FDC (Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, and Pyrazinamide) followed by two months of three drugs available as 3FDC (Isoniazid, Rifampicin, and Ethambutol).

The ministry has previously stated that all drugs used in the treatment of drug-sensitive TB are available with sufficient stocks for a time period ranging from six months and above.

“In about 30 per cent of persons with drug-resistant TB, cycloserine and linezolid are required. Patients who are taking multidrug-resistant TB medicines form only 2.5 per cent of the total TB affected population. However, even for this group, there is no shortage,” the ministry stated.

The health ministry also stated that states and union territories have been provisioned with resources for local procurement for limited quantities as and when required to meet emergent requirements.