The Indian Council of Medical Research has developed a hand-held X-ray for the early detection of tuberculosis, in its effort to meet the objective of bringing down the prevalence of the disease. The new device is likely to scale up early detection and improve TB treatment response in the country which accounts for a disproportionate TB burden.
This was announced by ICMR’s Director General Dr. Rajiv Bahl at the 19th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA) INDIA-2024 on Wednesday. He said that the cost of handheld X-ray devices is usually very high and hence beyond reach in far-flung areas of the country. An indigenous version of the device has been developed at a much lower cost through collaboration between IIT Kanpur and the ICMR. This new X-ray, manufactured at a cost much cheaper than imported devices, is less than half the price. According to Dr. Bahl, reasonable pricing would bring diagnosis for TB closer to patients’ homes. Especially for vulnerable populations who have no easy access to healthcare facilities.
Besides the hand-held X-ray, another achievement highlighted by Dr. Bahl was the development of three testing kits for the Mpox disease. These three companies in India have produced them, he said. Adding more feathers to the capacity of the country to handle emerging health threats.
Dr. Bahl also drew attention to the prevalence of sickle cell disease in India. Sickle cell disease has the second largest population in India, surpassing over a million people. Last year, the Prime Minister launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission to address the disease. The Mission aims at the elimination of the sickness cell disease as a public health problem by 2047. Dr. Bahl announced that ICMR has developed 18 low-cost tests for the detection of sickle cell anemia. These tests now cost ₹ 30 each against the earlier ₹ 400 per test cost. This is a big leap towards making diagnosis more accessible.
Finally, Dr. Bahl updated us on India’s progress in the area of dengue. He shared that Phase 3 clinical trials of the dengue vaccine are presently underway in the country. Once the vaccine proves to be safe and effective, India will be ready to manufacture its own Dengue vaccine.
These couple of inventions outline a milestone in India’s fight against some of the major public health problems. Using affordable solutions to help attain better health outcomes for millions.
ANI