Antibiotics

Centre unveils standard treatment guidelines for livestock, poultry

They discourage excessive use of antibiotics in poultry and livestock

US FDA grants fast track status to Wockhardt's novel antibiotic WCK 6777

WCK 6777 is a once-a-day, β-lactam enhancer used for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy

Antibiotic resistance to claim over 39 mn lives in next 25 years: Lancet

Over a million people around the world died annually due to antibiotic resistance between 1990 and 2021, and more than 39 million could die from antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years, according to a global analysis, published in The Lancet journal. Future deaths from antibiotic resistance are estimated to be highest in South Asia -- including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- where a total of 11.8 million deaths directly due to it are forecast between 2025 and 2050, a collaboration of researchers forming the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project said. Antibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistance is when drugs designed to kill infectious bacteria and fungi are rendered ineffective because the bugs have evolved and developed an ability to defeat these drugs. The researchers said deaths due to antibiotic resistance will also be high in other parts of southern and eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Further, trends between 1990 and 2021 suggested that

Antibiotic production waste fuelling drug-resistant bacteria, warns WHO

In a first, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued norms on managing waste during antibiotic production

Abbott India recalls Pentids antibiotic batches over packaging issues

Pentids are widely prescribed for treating bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, throat, lungs, nose, skin, and sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis

New research shows how viruses work where antibiotics fail against bacteria

Viruses called bacteriophages, or phages, target bacteria but can't infect humans or other higher organisms

India's medicine exports to US, Italy on the rise: Commerce ministry

With the government focusing on boosting domestic manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, India's medicine and antibiotics exports have started gaining significant market share in the US. According to the commerce ministry data, India is the third largest import source of 'medicine put up for retail sale' for the US. The top two are Ireland and Switzerland. In 2023, the country exported these medicines worth USD 9 billion as against 7.33 billion in 2022. With this increase in the shipments, India's share went up to 13.1 per cent in 2023 from 10.08 per cent in 2022. Share of the top exporter Ireland fell to 13.85 per cent in 2023 from 17.18 per cent in 2022 because its sales in the US went down to USD 9.5 billion in 2023 from USD 12.5 billion in 2022. The second biggest exporter Switzerland also saw its share decline to 13.7 per cent last year from 17.4 per cent in 2022. Similarly, India has increased its share among exporters of antibiotics in the Italian market. It is ranked 10

Mumbai-based Wockhardt to launch its novel antibiotic Zaynich by FY25-end

Global launch in FY26 after multinational clinical trial ends

Nepal's drug regulator bans sale of Indian antibiotic over quality issues

Zydus Lifesciences said the reports were 'misleading and erroneous'

Nepal bars sale of Indian antibiotic injection Biotax 1gm over health risk

Nepal's Department of Drug Administration said laboratory tests on batch F300460 of 'Biotax 1gm', manufactured by Zydus Healthcare Ltd, indicated non-compliance with production standards

Lupin recalls 51k bottles of generic drug due to defective containers in US

Drug firm Lupin is recalling over 51,000 bottles of a generic antibiotic medication in the US market due to a "defective container", according to the American health regulator. The US-based arm of the drug maker is recalling 51,006 bottles of Cefdinir for Oral Suspension (250 mg/5 mL) due to "defective container: lack of seal integrity," US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) said in its latest Enforcement Report. Cefrine Oral Suspension is indicated for the treatment of a range of bacterial infections. The affected lot has been manufactured at Lupin's Mandideep-based plant and marketed in the US by Baltimore-based Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc, it said. The drug maker initiated the Class II nationwide (US) voluntary recall on May 8 this year. As per the USFDA, a Class II recall is initiated in a situation in which the use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health

Experts flag need to stop OTC sale of antibiotics, spread awareness

The study adds that an estimated 7.7 million die in LMICs due to bacterial infections, of which almost five million deaths are due to AMR bacteria

Justifying antibiotics prescription can help rationalise use: Experts

With the Union Health Ministry urging doctors to mandatorily mention indications and reasons for justification while prescribing antibiotics, infectious disease specialists say the initiative can help in rationalising antimicrobial usage and avoid indiscriminate consumption. The practice could also help further an evidence-based approach in medicine, along with improving patient outcomes, and curbing treatment costs and unwarranted side effects, they said. "Prescribers have to think and document the rationale before prescribing antimicrobials... This will help in the rational prescribing of antimicrobials and avoiding injudicious, indiscriminate usage," infectious disease specialist and senior consultant at the Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital in Kaushambi Dr Chhavi Gupta told PTI. In a letter to all doctors in medical colleges and medical associations on January 1, Director General of Health Services Dr Atul Goel urged them to make it a mandatory practice to write indications, ...

DGHS asks pharmacists to dispense antibiotics only on doctor's prescription

DGHS Atul Goel appealed to all pharmacists to strictly implement Schedules H and H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, with regards to selling antibiotics

Govt urges doctors to mention justification while prescribing antibiotics

The Union Health Ministry has urged all doctors in medical colleges and medical associations to make it a mandatory practice to mention indication, reason for justification while prescribing antibiotics. Director General of Health Services Dr Atul Goel has also appealed to all pharmacists to strictly implement schedule H and H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules and stop over-the-counter sale of antibiotics and sell them only on the prescription of a qualified doctor. Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are one of the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens, Goel said in a letter dated January 1. "With few new antibiotics in the research and development pipeline, prudent antibiotic use is the only option to delay the development of resistance," he stated. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health threats facing humanity, the letter addressed to all doctors of medical colleges and to all medical associations said. It is estimated that

US health officials propose using cheap antibiotic as 'morning-after pill'

US health officials plan to endorse a common antibiotic as a morning-after pill that gay and bisexual men can use to try to avoid some increasingly common sexually transmitted diseases. The proposed CDC guideline was released Monday, and officials will move to finalise it after a 45-day public comment period. With STD rates rising to record levels, more tools are desperately needed, said Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposal comes after studies found some people who took the antibiotic doxycycline within three days of unprotected sex were far less likely to get chlamydia, syphilis, or gonorrhoea compared with people who did not take the pills after sex. The guideline is specific to the group that has been most studied gay and bisexual men and transgender women who had an STD in the previous 12 months and were at high risk of getting infected again. There's less evidence that the approach works for other people, including heterosexual m

Pharma major Lupin gets USFDA approval for its generic antibiotic

Pharma major Lupin Ltd on Monday said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market its generic antibiotic Doxycycline Hyclate delayed-release tablets used to treat bacterial infections. The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is for the abbreviated new drug application for Doxycycline Hyclate delayed-release tablets of strengths 50 mg, 60 mg, 75 mg, 80 mg, 100 mg, 120 mg, 150 mg, and 200 mg, Lupin said in a regulatory filing. This product will be manufactured at Lupin's Pithampur facility in India, it added. Doxycycline Hyclate Delayed-Release tablets had estimated annual sales of USD 9 million in the US, the company said citing IQVIA MAT June 2023 data.

Wockhardt charting a recovery riding on a promising new antibiotic

While global trials are on, doctors have started using one of company's antibiotics against superbugs to save lives

'Many newborns dying due to loss of efficacy of antibiotics against sepsis'

Many newborns are dying because the antibiotics used to treat sepsis are losing their effectiveness, according to a global observational study which involved over 3,200 newborn babies suffering from the infection in 11 countries, including India. The study, conducted from 2018 to 2020 and co-authored by a team of over 80 researchers, found there was high mortality among infants with culture-positive sepsis (almost 1 in 5 across the hospital sites), and a significant burden of antibiotic resistance. The research, published on Friday in the journal PLOS Medicine, provides a wealth of high-quality data aimed at improving the treatment of newborn babies with sepsis. "It was very important to undertake this study to get a better understanding of the kind of infections we are seeing in newborns in hospitals, the bugs causing them, the treatments that are being used and why we are seeing more deaths," said Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director of Global Antibiotic Research and Development

Pfizer suspends sale of three antibiotics in India over technical issues

Investigating matter with contract manufacturer Astral Steritech, says pharma firm