Central Health Ministry Denies Reports Of Tuberculosis Medicine Shortages (Image:pixabay,.com)
The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday refuted the circulating reports claiming the shortage of anti-TB medicines saying the news as “vague”, “ill-informed” and “misleading”.
Earlier today, Survivors Against TB (SATB), a collective of TB survivors, experts, and advocates, said that they have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the alarming shortage of vital anti-TB drugs across different parts of the country, The Financial Express reported.
In the second week of September, The Quint had also reported that India is currently short of three life-saving tuberculosis (TB) drugs (Linezolid, Clofazimine and Cycloserine).
According to the official statement released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the centre is proactively undertaking assessments to calculate and verify the stock positions of medicines including that for Tuberculosis regularly at all the levels, “from central warehouses to peripheral health institutes”.
“There have been some media reports alleging shortage of anti-TB drugs in India and questioning the effectiveness of such drugs under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). Such reports are vague and ill-informed, without any specific information on the availability of anti-TB medicines in stock”, reads the official press release posted by Press Information Bureau.
The government confirmed sufficient stock of medicines that helps supply for six months and more, providing tabulated details.
“The treatment of drug sensitive tuberculosis consists of two months of four drugs available as 4 FDC (Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide) followed by two months of three drugs available as 3 FDC (Isoniazid, Rifampicin and Ethambutol). All these drugs are available with sufficient stocks ranging six months and above”, added Health Ministry.
The current stock of the mentioned drugs at the national level as on Tuesday September 26 was also produced in contrast to what the “misleading” reports.
As per the current clarification, more than 15 months stocks of Moxifloxacin 400mg and Pyridoxine are available under NTEP (National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme). Delamanid 50 mg and Clofazimine 100 mg were already supplied to all states and Union Territories.
“Moreover, P.O has been issued on 23.09.2023 for the supply of additional 8 lakh qty of Delamanid 50 mg tablets”, the press release added. Centre has also issued purchase orders for Linezolid-600mg & Cap Cycloserine-250 mg in August 2023 and they are being dispatched to the states.
“Significant efforts have been made to ensure the availability of these essential anti TB drugs. Regular assessments are conducted to evaluate the stock positions at various levels, from central warehouses to peripheral health institutes”, said the Union Ministry strongly rejecting the information mentioned in the media reports as “vague and ill-informed and do not reflect the correct picture of the available stock of anti-TB drugs in the country”.
