The Central government has decided to supply miltefosine, a drug for treating kala-azar, to the affected people free of cost under the National Vector Borne Disease Programme in technical support with the World Health Organisation.

Miltefosine, having cleared for phase IV trials by the ICMR, is already in the market and is reported to have better results. However, as the common people could not afford to buy the drug, the government has now decided to give them free of costs to the patients as was recommended by several expert committees in the past.

Dr Indranath Banerjee, National Professional Officer, Leprosy and Neglected Tropical Disease, WHO, in a talk with Pharmabiz, said that the medicine was having a better action on kala-azar and could change the scenario of this tropical disease prevalence rate within the country. The WHO would give technical guidance and support including training of the health workers to administer the drug under the programme, he said.

Mitefosine, antiprotozoal drug, was originally developed as an antineoplastic. Earlier, the patients of kala-azar were usually given the drug as injections and the patients used to complain of severe pain as they had to undergo several rounds of shots.

The government may introduce the programme on a pilot basis in Bihar as the first line drug for treatment of cases of kala-azar. Vaishali and Saran districts in Bihar are said to be the worst hit areas where cases were reported in the early 1970s.

Talking about the harshness of the kala-azar disease, Dr Banerjee said that it was a chronic and fatal disease, caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani and usually occurring in tropical areas of Asia. In India, prevalence is mainly in Bihar and some other remote areas of the country.

He informed that the government would replace the old drugs for the disease with the new one in a phased manner to cover all the kala-azar affected states in coming months. He revealed that, with the improved efficacy of the new drug, government would be able to effectively control the spreading of kala-azar very soon.