Sustained rise in antimicrobial resistance in India: ICMR study

A big chunk of patients in India may no longer benefit from carbapenem, a powerful antibiotic administered mainly in ICU settings to treat pneumonia and septicemia, as they have developed antimicrobial resistance to it, an ICMR study has found.

The data analysis done between January 1 and December 31, 2021, pointed towards a sustained increase in drug-resistant pathogens, resulting in difficulty to treat certain infections with available medicines, senior Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist Dr. Kamini Walia, who led the study, said.