Why in news?
Nafithromycin is India's first indigenously developed macrolide antibiotic aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially in respiratory infections.
 
Key points

• It is developed with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and marketed under the trade name "Miqnaf".​
• Nafithromycin is the first molecule entirely conceptualized, developed, and clinically validated in India.​
• Designed specifically to treat Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia (CABP), caused by drug-resistant bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae.​
• It targets both typical bacteria and atypical pathogens associated with respiratory infections, making it effective against resistant strains.​
• Nafithromycin is a macrolide-class antibiotic working by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis through binding the 50S ribosomal subunit, halting bacterial growth.​
• It is effective against resistant respiratory infections.​
• It shows superior safety, minimal side effects, and no significant drug interactions.​
• Effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria including several resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus.​

Nafithromycin's development is a significant milestone for India’s public health and pharmaceutical innovation, addressing the global challenge of AMR which causes high mortality and treatment difficulties worldwide.​
 
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

• It is a major global public health threat that occurs when microorganisms—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites—develop the ability to resist the effects of antimicrobial medicines designed to kill them.
• This resistance makes infections harder or sometimes impossible to treat, leading to increased disease spread, severe illness, disability, and mortality.
• AMR threatens many medical advances, making procedures like surgeries, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy, and treatment of chronic diseases riskier due to ineffective infection control.

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