In the wake of recent controversies about studies by Cardiff University of UK about the water pollution in Delhi and the articles in Lancet about the presence of drug resistant superbug in India, the Health Ministry has sought explanations from the Indian doctors involved in the studies that formed basis of such reports.
As part of enforcing norms on the export of biological samples, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had sent notices to at least eight Indian researchers who were part of the studies, based on which the foreign magazine published the reports, sources said. Besides, authorities were also scrutinising if the samples were taken out of the country without due clearance and approvals. Action would be initiated based on the responses and ongoing scrutiny by the competent team on the issue.
Besides, the authorities also tightened the norms about the transfer of human biological material for research and commercial purposes and asked the domestic and foreign companies to stand by the instructions. The International Health Division of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been asked to monitor it.
In the past one year, two articles were published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases on the presence of carbapenem resistant enterobacteriasceae due to a metallo beta lactamase enzyme – NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo beta lactamase – 1)
The Government has denied this allegation as the origin of NDM-1 from India has not been conclusively proved in these articles. Besides, as per information published by WHO, USA has reported cases of NDM-1 in three States and Canada in three provinces, Australia, Belgium, Japan, Sweden and Vietnam have all reported cases.
Another study report by researchers led by Prof Tim Walsh of Cardiff University in the UK had discovered new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water samples taken from Delhi, creating lots of debate in the country. The Ministry had strongly denied the report as baseless.