Bedaquiline maybe the next answer to treat TB

To discuss about the present and future challenges of Tuberculosis (TB), a symposium was held at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Tuesday.

The event was organised by the Department of Microbiology, TB division, AIIMS in collaboration with the American Society for Microbiology. The symposium, which was held at the Dr Ramalingaswami board room, saw in attendance not only the top doctors, microbiologists, biochemists and the scientists of Delhi but also from the country who through their presentations and interactions discussed the current negative and positive trends of TB bacteria and how it can impact the future. Medical professionals were speaking of the benefits of the new drug Bedaquiline, that is been procured recently by the Government of India and will be used in certain centres to treat the multi-drug resistant TB, however, criticisms came up that the new drug was not tested in the laboratories and it may prove redundant as it has in other countries among certain patients where it was seen ineffective.

Dr Urvashi Singh, Microbiologist, AIIMS, through her presentation, mentioned that how multi-drug usage was creating resistant bacteria among the patients and how in one of her researches she had observed that in a regimen of a patient, Bedaquiline finished the impact of Clofazimine (anti-TB drug) and created more resistant bacteria.

The experts, however, agreed that the Bedaquiline drug is used as a last resort on patients who stop responding to other drugs.

The doctors accepted that the microbacteria causing TB is complex and the treatment varies according to age, geography and habits and therefore requires precision treatment and constant innovation.

The sessions under which the discussion took place were categorised as the new researches taking place, programmatic efforts and need for social behavioural support with regards to TB, newer treatment options, vaccines for TB where medical professionals from institutions like AIIMS, Maulana Azad Medical College, Department of Biotechnology (Govt of India), Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis gave their valuable inputs.