Two tuberculosis survivors have challenged a patent to prevent pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from extending its monopoly on bedaquiline, one of the two newest anti-TB drugs in 50 years.
About:
Bedaquiline is a bactericidal drug which belongs to a new class of antibiotics (diarylquinolines).
Usage: It is recommended by WHO specifically for the treatment of patients suffering from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). It is not recommended for treating latent TB infection.
Functioning: It is different from other anti-TB drugs as it interferes with the function of an enzyme required by the tuberculosis bacterium to produce energy and to replicate.
Side-effects: However, Bedaquiline has been reported to disturb the function of the heart and liver in particular. Thus, patients using this needs to be closely monitored.
Usage in India: The drug is made available only to the Centre, which in turn rations it to the States. It is not available for private purchase because of concerns of drug-resistance by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB.
In October 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) included bedaquiline drug, specifically developed for treating multidrug-resistant TB (resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin) patients, in the fully oral regimen.
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