Antibiotic developed in India proves effective against complicated UTI: Top expert
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Pune: An indigenously developed antibiotic has emerged as a "blessing" in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) among Indian patients, said Dr V Balaji, professor of clinical microbiology at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore.
Dr Balaji, also a key member of the Indian Network for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (INSAR) Network, was speaking in Pune at the 13th annual international Best of Brussels symposium on intensive care and emergency medicine held on Saturday. More than 700 critical-care specialists are attending the three-day conference, which began on Friday.
About the antibiotic — called cefepime-enmetazobactam — Dr Balaji said it has shown to be "highly effective", especially for treating complicated UTIs.
Cefepime-enmetazobactam was fully developed in India, right from conception to trial phases.
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Dr Balaji said: "Till now, no new drug was ever discovered in India, against cancer, hypertension, diabetes or even antibiotics. But for the first time, chemists in Chennai discovered a new antibiotic called cefepime-enmetazobactam. This is a big achievement because usually, when a drug is discovered abroad, it takes 5–6 years to reach India.
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And when it comes to India, it's 3–5 times more expensive."
He added that since the drug discovery was in India, it was released here first at one-tenth of the cost. "It's highly effective and affordable, especially for treating complicated UTIs," he said.
At the symposium, doctors also discussed irrational use of antibiotics. They said that in addition to misuse of antibiotics, use of unchecked generic medicines that were freely available in the market was triggering AMR in complicated UTIs.
Dr Shirish Prayag, organising chairperson of the symposium and a leading intensivist from Pune, said: "Complicated UTIs are the most common bacterial infections in India. According to WHO, bacterial AMR is directly responsible for nearly 12 lakh deaths worldwide and indirectly responsible for 49 lakh deaths. E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the most common causes of complicated UTIs. Patients with complicated UTIs, if left untreated, may require surgeries, renal replacement, utmost intensive care and even ventilation that prolongs hospitalisation.
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Dr Kapil Zirpe, organizing secretary of the symposium, said: "When E. coli and other pathogens become resistant to anti-infectives like carbapenem, it is termed as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). In India, mortality associated with CRE infections is as high as 20% to 54.3%, thus underscoring need for newer treatment options. Broad-spectrum antibiotics should not be used if a patient's vitals are fine.
In such cases, a moderate-spectrum antibiotic is fine."
Dr Subhal Dixit, joint organising secretary of the symposium, said antibiotics should be started only after proper collection of culture. "Antibiotics should always be used cautiously, only with a proper prescription and strictly based on a culture sensitivity–guided protocol."
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