New Delhi, 6 December: The Pharmaceutical company Wockhardt has developed a new antibiotic drug called ‘Nafithromycin’. This drug is being seen as a strong option to existing antibiotics like azithromycin. It has been made to deal with the increasing level of resistance in humans. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers gave this information on Friday.
The ministry said that antimicrobial resistance has long been a growing global concern. Pharmaceutical companies around the world are trying to develop new drugs to combat it. After three decades of research and hard work, India has paved the way for the manufacture of the country’s first indigenous macrolide antibiotic naphithromycin. This remarkable achievement is an important step in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, demonstrating India’s growing capabilities in pharmaceutical innovation.
India’s fight against antimicrobial resistance
The Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial drugs. Drug resistance results in antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs becoming ineffective and infections becoming difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death.
The Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major global health problem, with nearly 6 lakh people losing their lives every year in India due to resistant infections. India is making significant progress in addressing AMR through the development of new drugs.
The antibiotic drug ‘Naphythromycin’, developed with funding of Rs 8 crore under the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council Biotech Industry Programme, is an important milestone in this effort, the ministry said in a statement. Naphythromycin was officially launched on November 20, 2024 by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
