India moves to curb antibiotic use in animals, OTC buys to check drug resistance
India has launched AMR 2.0, a national action plan for 2025-2029 to combat antibiotic misuse in human and animal health. The strategy aims to phase out non-therapeutic antibiotic use, enforce prescription-only access, and enhance awareness to tackle the rising threat of drug-resistant infections.
New Delhi: India has unveiled its next-generation national action plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR 2.0) for 2025-2029, to curb misuse of antibiotics across human and animal health as drug-resistant infections emerge as a major national health threat. The plan focusses on phasing out non-therapeutic antibiotic use in livestock, fisheries and agriculture and tightening prescription-only access. The strategy aims to protect the effectiveness of life-saving drugs.
Antibiotic resistance can be transferred from animals to humans through the consumption of milk, meat, eggs, and other dairy products.
The government's revamped strategy comes in the backdrop of data showing that AMR directly caused an estimated 267,000 deaths in 2021 and contributed to nearly 1 million more deaths during the year, according to two officials and a document reviewed by Mint. These mortality figures are from Global Burden of Disease study on antimicrobial resistance, conducted by Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators, including the WHO.
The new policy is geared toward the phasing out of antibiotic use to boost growth and prevent diseases in livestock, fisheries, and agriculture. It actively encourages farmers to switch to alternatives like traditional ethno-veterinary medicines.
"This exercise is being done to promote the responsible and judicious use of antimicrobials across human and animal health sectors, in alignment with global standards and the One Health approach," said an official at the department of animal husbandry, requesting anonymity.
Mint had earlier reported on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization's recent notification to ban several antibiotics for animal use due to the risk they pose to humans. This includes colistin for food-producing animals, 15 antibiotics, 18 antivirals, and a drug used to treat infections caused by protozoa.
"By phasing out the non-therapeutic antibiotic use in livestock and enforcing prescription-only access, the government is primarily addressing two major drivers of resistance," said Dr Anand Singh, a consultant in the critical care department at Regency Hospital in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. “Strengthening the national lab network, surveillance system, and Infection Prevention and Control measures will further support the containment of drug-resistant bacterial infections and their early detection."
Advancements in research and community awareness are essential to curb AMR and protect the effectiveness of future treatments, he added.
AMR surveillance
According to Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics, the anti-infective segment market in India, which includes antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals, was at approximately ₹251.3 billion.
Surveillance data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also showed alarming trends: Carbapenem resistance in a key pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, reached 87.5% in 2021, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections increased the risk of patient death in some Indian hospitals by 1.57 times, as per Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Centre for Disease Control.
Dr Ravneet Kaur, head of microbiology and serology for lab services at Agilus Diagnostics in the National Capital Region, expressed concern over the surge in multi-drug resistance, especially given the low rate of new antibiotic development. "The burden is expected to increase due to more chronic and device-dependent patients, alongside struggles with global antibiotic regulation," she said.
Dr Kaur explained that high-end antibiotics are failing, and resistance in serious infections found in hospital and ICU patients is increasing. "Resistance spreads easily between patients, driving up both healthcare costs and the length of hospital stays."
She highlighted the pressure faced by diagnostic laboratories: “This is a huge challenge for diagnostic labs as well, as they are pressured by clinicians and patients to report antibiotics that are sensitive. Labs feel helpless because they have already tested a wide battery of antibiotics." This also requires much greater public awareness, as there is often pressure from patients to write antibiotics on prescriptions; laypersons need to understand the perils of irrational antibiotic consumption, Dr Kaur said.
The new plan covers six main goals, including improving laboratory testing capacity for AMR, checking for antibiotic residues in food and the environment, and setting up effective Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programmes. It also promotes research and innovations for new treatments and rapid tests, with the India AMR Innovation Hub (IAIH) playing a key development role.
The government will also strictly enforce rules mandating prescription-only sales of antibiotics for both human and animal use. “The drug regulator has also directed state authorities to monitor sale and availability of antibiotic combinations because the excessive and irrational use of antibiotics in India renders them ineffective when patients are routinely exposed to these drugs," said a second official from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. "A proposal is also in place to regulate antibiotic usage under the relevant provisions of the Drug Rules, 1945."
Queries sent to the animal husbandry and health ministries remained unanswered till press time.
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