Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal published a report last month. The report says TB is a big killer in India and worldwide it takes a toll of 1.5 million people yearly. TB drugs rifampicin and isoniazid take a course of six months to kill germs. But their side effects are strong. Patients give up full course earlier.
The WHO dosage guidance is also too low for TB patients with HIV which is mostly the case in India. HIV patient picks up TB germs faster than other healthy persons. These patients in particular become more dangerous in carrying and spreading infections further. HIV still is quite rampant in India. Dr. Spiegelman, president of Global Alliance for TB Drug Development says WHO recommended “dosage were based on cost of drgs, and not on good science”. Low dosage recommended by WHO make it harder to fight the disease
It is the disease of poor and uneducated in India because they leave course of medicine half finished and germs come back with resistance to treatment, and it is not glamorous. Pharma industry does not make money from old established generic medicines and they do not spend money on new research and development to fight TB germs. There is no money to be made from these hopelessly poor people. Further, germs in saliva or air that TB patient spread , know no difference between classes or religions of humans.
New studies show infectious bacteria in patients even after six months treatment when HIV-AIDS germs also attack or inhabit the body.
Interestingly Columbia University professor Dr. Schluger says that there is lack of new research in treating TB with new medicines. Lucrative therapies like cancer attract more research and innovation because it offers greater financial reasons for pharmaceutical industry.
TB is a national crisis in India. It attacks faster on people with humans Immune Deficiency HIV-AIDS. Perhaps it is time when Indian Government should invest in research for new medicine for TB. Our people are our most precious assets
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