India struggles to treat deadly Superbug infections following antibiotic access crisis: Study
New Delhi: A new global study has revealed a troubling gap in the treatment of deadly superbug infections across low- and middle-income countries, with India bearing the brunt of the crisis. Of the nations under study, India purchases 80% of the whole antibiotic courses. Only 7.8% of the anticipated instances of drug-resistant illnesses were successfully treated.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases has released a study conducted by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) in eight countries, including Brazil, South Africa and India. About 1.5 million cases of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative (CRGN) bacterial infections were studied in the report.
Only 6.9% of patients across all eight countries received appropriate treatment. India recorded the highest number of cases and also a massive shortfall in access to effective drugs. Tigecycline, one of the few antibiotics effective against CRGN infections, was the most widely used but remained vastly under-procured.
Doctors warn that these infections are increasingly common in hospitals, especially in intensive care units which often prove fatal due to lack of effective treatment.
“In our hospitals, we regularly see patients for whom no antibiotic works,” said Dr Abdul Ghafur, infectious disease specialist at Apollo Hospital, Chennai. “Many of them do not survive.”
Experts blame the treatment gap on poor access, high drug costs, limited diagnostic testing, and weak health infrastructure. The study calls for improved access to affordable antibiotics, tighter regulation to prevent overuse and coordinated procurement models to reduce costs.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
