To make India leprosy free by 2027, India to launch new treatment regimen from next year

With the goal of creating a leprosy-free India by 2027, the central government has approved a new treatment regimen for the chronic and infectious disease in the country from April 1, 2025. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken an important step in this direction. -Drug Therapy (MDT) treatment scheme for leprosy patients in India.

According to the letter written by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP) is taking all necessary steps to stop the transmission of leprosy at the sub-national level by 2027 – which is three years ahead of 2027. . Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Goal 3.3.

The letter said, “With the approval of the competent authority, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to introduce a three-drug regimen in place of the two-drug regimen for six months for Poi-Bacillary (PB) cases ” By Dr. Sudarshan Mandal, Deputy Director General of DGHS.

The letter, dated January 17, said the move was being followed by “the latest, globally accepted scientific research studies and evidence-based practices.”

WHO will supply medicines from April 2025

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), leprosy is a curable disease. In the letter the global body said it has “agreed to supply the revised drug regimen from April 1, 2025”.

DGHS has ordered all states and union territories to send demands for anti-leprosy drugs 12 months before the deadline.

The revised classification and treatment rules for leprosy for paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) cases in India will be implemented in states and union territories from April 1, 2025.

Paucibacillary patients have fewer bacteria visible and biopsies may show no signs of advanced disease, while multibacillary patients have visible bacteria and biopsies may show signs of more advanced disease.

“We believe this new treatment for leprosy patients will be an important step forward in our collective efforts to eliminate leprosy in India by 2027,” the letter said.

According to WHO, the recommended treatment regimen includes three drugs: dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine. This combination is called multi-drug therapy or MDT.

“The duration of treatment is six months for PB and 12 months for MB cases. “MDT kills the pathogen and cures the patient.”

WHO is providing MDT free of cost. Free MDT was initially funded by the Nippon Foundation and since 2000 has been donated through an agreement with Novartis.

Efforts to make ‘leprosy-free India’

In January last year, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had announced the goal of ‘leprosy-free India’ by 2027.

Highlighting Mahatma Gandhi’s enduring compassion towards people suffering from leprosy, Mandaviya emphasized that his dedication and determination to tackle leprosy has deep roots in the country’s history.

“Our efforts to eliminate leprosy from this country under the National Leprosy Eradication Program are a great tribute to his foresight. We have been able to achieve a prevalence rate of 1 case per 10,000 population at the national level in 2005,” he had said.

The government has also increased the welfare allowance for patients for reconstructive surgery from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000.

According to government data, the prevalence rate of leprosy has declined from 0.69 per 10,000 people in 2014-15 to 0.45 in 2021-22. Additionally, the annual new case detection rate per 100,000 population has fallen from 9.73 in 2014–15 to 5.52 in 2021–22.