As one of us is a two-time TB survivor and a medical doctor, we firmly believe that faster and more effective TB diagnostics and treatment are critical to improving patient experience and reaching our TB elimination goal. As a leader in the pharmaceutical development and manufacturing space, India’s indigenous development of the rapid TB diagnostic machine, Truenat, has been important in making diagnostics more affordable and accessible. A leading public health threat facing the world today is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It refers to the ability of pathogens to resist and survive a drug meant to kill them. Irrational and incorrect usage of antimicrobials is an important factor contributing to the challenge. Recognising the urgency of the matter, India identified AMR as one of the health priorities under its G20 presidency this year. Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is at the core of this challenge, accounting for close to a third of the deaths caused by antimicrobial infections.

The DR-TB challenge is two-fold. We must continually check the irrational use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials. At the same time, we must continue to work towards making the difficult treatment journey easier for all TB patients, especially those with DR-TB. Until recently, the difficult treatment journey for those with DR-TB included debilitating side effects, 16-24 daily pills, and enduring treatment anywhere as long as 24 months with poor success rates. Thanks to recent advances, that is no longer the case – virtually all patients with DR-TB can be treated in just six months with a 90% success rate.

While the Indian TB programme has been steadfast in introducing oral regimens, thereby helping patients in adhering to the treatment, we must also rapidly adopt shorter, effective treatment regimens that support patients in completing treatments. The new standard now prioritised by the World Health Organization (WHO) is the BPaLM/BPaL regimen that reduces the treatment duration to six months and requires only three to four antibiotics. This treatment is reported to have a greater success rate at a more economical price. Pretomanid, a novel anti-TB drug, is a core component of this new treatment standard, and is made in India. Several countries such as South Africa are already scaling up the use of the BPaLM regimen for DR-TB patients in line with WHO guidelines. We must also take full advantage of this safe, quality, and effective treatment.

Under the G20’s 3rd Health Working Group meeting, countries are discussing the need to accelerate the development and equitable delivery of quality, affordable, and life-saving medical counter-measures. Given our pharmaceutical capacity and manufacturing edge, India must take this opportunity to prove its place as a leader in TB and AMR response. Ours is a country of innovators and early adopters of solutions. Introducing indigenously manufactured, highly effective regimens and other proven technologies at a fast pace not only demonstrates India’s leadership drive, but also shows its belief in putting forward the needs of those left behind.

We will thus also prove that a public health response, hinged upon people-centric approaches, and visionary drive, is a uniquely Indian model, ready for the world to learn from.

Dr Dalbir Singh is president, Global Coalition Against TB, and Dr Rajdeep Roy is Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha The views expressed are personal