The discovery of Penicillin had chang­ed the world and extended human lives by a quarter of a century. The scientists at Wockhardt, an Indian pharmaceutical firm, who have invented WCK 5222, a new antibiotic, might have created another ‘Penicillin moment’. Multidrug-resistant or extreme drug-resistant bacteria — superbugs — that do not respond to even last-line antibiotics kill more people in In­dia every year than the country’s official Covid-19 death toll of around 5,30,000. A study by the University of Washington estimated that in 2019 alone, 2,97,000 deaths could be directly attributed to superbugs and 1,042,000 fatalities indirectly. WCK 5222, which is undergoing clinical trials in India, Europe and North America, has shown promising results in overcoming MDR and XDR. Hearteningly, Wockhardt has another such medicine that is ready to be launched; there are a few more similar drugs in the pipelines of various Indian pharma companies. There is a need to laud India’s conducive legislative atmosphere that allows the patenting of drugs and encourages innovation. But there is a flip side. The same law can also makes life-saving medication prohibitively expensive. Thus price caps — and corresponding subsidies to companies to ensure they do not incur losses — must be contemplated before these medicines are launched.

Another relevant caveat must be cited. Bacteria and other micro-organisms often evolve quicker than science can find cures for them. If antibiotic abuse is not checked, it is only a matter time before the superbugs develop resistance to this new line of drugs. Several factors contribute to India’s heightened vulnerability to antimicrobial resistance. According to the National Centre for Disease Control, just 45% of patients in India were prescribed antibiotics to actually treat infections and not as prophylaxis; of this, a meagre 6% were prescribed the drugs after identifying the specific bacteria, a crucial step to combat AMR. Other relevant concerns are the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics without prescriptions and impropriety by some doctors who are incentivised by pharma companies to prescribe specific brands. The shortage of laboratories to quickly guide clinicians on the most appropriate antibiotic is also a pressing worry. Earlier this year, Kerala became the only state in India to ban the sale of antibiotics without a prescription. The rest of India should follow suit while contemplating other deterrents if the new cure is to take effect.