Relevance for UPSC (Paper/Subject): Environment and Science — Public health policy (General Studies Paper III).

Antibiotics are becoming less effective against bacteria — a problem that affects patients, families and health systems. Studies estimate that resistant bacteria caused about 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and contributed to nearly 5 million deaths that year.

What combining antibiotics means

• Combination therapy means giving two or more antibiotics together so one helps the other or blocks the bacteria’s defence. Some medical trials show benefit; others show no help or more side effects. So the evidence is mixed.

Why policy and law matter

• Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in people, animals and farming speeds up resistance. Public awareness and better prescribing are essential.
• India’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2017) asks for coordinated “one health” work across human and animal health and better disease surveillance.
• The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules (Schedule H1) require pharmacies to maintain prescriptions for certain strong antibiotics to stop over-the-counter sales. Enforcement is still a challenge.

Combining antibiotics is not a simple fix. It helps in some cases but is not a substitute for accurate diagnosis, careful prescribing, infection prevention, and research into new medicines.

Exam hook :
UPSC prelims question
Consider the following statements:

1. Schedule H1 under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules requires pharmacies to maintain a separate prescription register for listed drugs.
2. Combining two antibiotics always prevents the development of resistance.
   Which of the statements is/are correct?
   (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither
   Correct answer: (a).

Oneline wrap: Combining antibiotics can help sometimes, but lasting solutions need stewardship, law enforcement, surveillance and new science.