Thread by @amitsurg

Have pointed out earlier how NGO lobby has been pushing for introduction of the drug bedaquiline into Indian market on pretext of urgency in fighting MDR TV, without it having undergone due process of clinical trials. The picture is now becoming clearer as to who is behind this.

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The Wire is one such “NGO” involved in this global sweepstake. But the real strings are being pulled by someone else. But first some cold facts about the drug that is deemed crucial for India. It has been introduced without even phase 2 clinical trials for efficacy and safety.

The US FDA has put prominent safety warnings on the drug that clearly show a 11.4% risk of dying when on the medicine as compared to 2.5% when on placebo. In the unmonitored Indian context, this can potentially mean lakhs of people dying due to this allegedly life saving drug.

Studies conducted on the drug were limited to phase 1 and phase 2. Total number of patients just 338 and with Asians 9.4% of this tiny number, that’s just 32 patients. And on the basis of this pretty flimsy evidence, this drug has been promoted heavily as miracle cure!

Behind this push is a powerful global organisation, International Union Against Tuberculosis And Lung Disease, better known as The Union, which partners and lobbies with several countries including India. Their Indian partners are also very interesting.

And guess who “partners” with The Union for fighting tuberculosis across the world? Surprise, surprise. Janssen Pharmaceutica.
theunion.org/what-we-do/con…

Amazing that no one speaks about an obvious conflict of interest in a company sponsoring an NGO that is pushing their untested product into a global market by drumming up a fear of MDR TB. To be clear, MDR TB is a major problem but are we being sold a genuine solution?

Now, coming to the core partners of The Union in India. This is as self explanatory as it can possibly be. And the choice of partners becomes clear when one sees the logo of The Union carefully.

When this powerful global nexus managed to get bedaquiline introduced into the worlds biggest anti tuberculosis program, India’s RNTCP, by intense lobbying, it was a major achievement. Govt is understandably being cautious in pushing this “miracle drug”. tbcindia.gov.in/index1.php?lan…

To know more about the issue of MDR TB treatment itself and various stages involved in testing of drugs before they enter the market and where bedaquiline stands in all this, read this excellent blog by @anupampom

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