How Much Does Phage Therapy Cost in India?
The cost of phage therapy treatment in India is EUR 2100 (approx. INR 2 lac) for one full course of treatment, which typically lasts for 10-12 weeks.
Inclusions: Cost of standard phage medicines targeting the bacterial pathogens causing the patient’s infection; phage treatment plan and dosage details; video telemedicine and email consultations with specialist doctors; and courier charges for sending the phage medicines to India.
Exclusions: Diagnostic testing, Indian customs duties, customs clearance and delivery charges within India, Customised phage preparations, and any other items not explicitly mentioned in the Inclusions section given above are not included in the treatment cost.
What are Phages? What is Phage Therapy?
Bacteriophages, or simply phages, are viruses found abundantly in nature and are natural predators of bacteria. They attack only their target bacteria and are harmless to human, plant, and animal tissue. Phages are present in every environment that contains bacteria, including inside the human body.
Using these natural phages to combat bacterial infections is called Phage Therapy. It is a natural, safe, and effective treatment for a vast variety of bacterial infections, including antibiotic-resistant infections.
Phage Therapy is extremely effective for treating chronic and recurrent infections, with minimal side effects.
Why Choose Phage Therapy in India?
Phage therapy is customized for each patient who undergoes the treatment. The treatment plan is made while keeping in consideration the patient’s history with the infection, their current symptoms, and test reports from the bacterial culture and phage sensitivity analysis for the patient’s particular bacterial infection.
Medical and scientific research around the world showcases the effectiveness of phage therapy in cases of antibiotic treatment failure. A few such research papers and medical case reports are given below:
- Advantages and Limitations of Bacteriophages for the Treatment of Bacterial Infections – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.00513/full
- Phage Therapy in the 21st Century: Is There Modern, Clinical Evidence of Phage-Mediated Efficacy? – https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/11/1157
- Case Report: Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis Treated With Phage Therapy After Multiple Failed Antibiotic Treatments – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.692614/full
- Case report: Successful treatment of recurrent E. coli infection with bacteriophage therapy for patient suffering from chronic bacterial prostatitis – https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1243824/full
Who Can Benefit From Phage Therapy?
Any person suffering from any chronic or recurrent bacterial infection can benefit from phage therapy, even when repeated courses of antibiotics are not able to treat the infection.
Phage therapy can treat bacterial infections that are multidrug resistant (MDR) or even extremely drug resistant (XDR), and can be used to treat such infections even once antibiotic options have been exhausted.
Phage therapy is an individualized treatment through which only the pathogenic bacteria are targeted. Therefore, it does not have a harmful impact on the gut microbiome. Patients who have suffered the toxic side effects of sustained antibiotic use can undertake phage therapy without suffering from the side effects caused by long-term courses of antibiotics.
Most of the common bacterial pathogens that cause infections, like E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA), Enterococcus faecalis (including VRE), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus spp. etc., are treatable with phage therapy.
Conditions Treatable with Phage Therapy in India:
Category |
Specific Conditions |
| Urology & Gynaecology | – Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) |
| – Kidney & Bladder Infections | |
| – Prostatitis, Epididymitis & Orchitis | |
| – Vaginitis & Bacterial Vaginosis | |
| Respiratory Conditions | – Cystic Fibrosis related infections |
| – Pneumonia | |
| – Tracheitis | |
| – Bronchitis | |
| – Bronchiectasis | |
| Ear, Nose & Throat | – Sinusitis, rhinitis, pharyngitis |
| – Laryngitis | |
| – Otitis | |
| Gastrointestinal Infections | – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) |
| – Irritable Bowel Syndrome | |
| – Gastritis | |
| Dermatology | – Burn Wound Infections |
| – Hidradenitis Suppurativa | |
| – Dermatitis | |
| Paediatric Care | – Bacterial Conjunctivitis |
| – Gastrointestinal Infections | |
| – Ear, Nose & Throat Infections | |
| Surgical & Hospital-Acquired Infections | – Chronic Wounds, e.g., Surgical Wounds & Diabetic Foot Ulcers |
| – Prosthetic-Acquired Infections |
How is Phage Therapy Available in India?
Phage therapy is available in India through Vitalis Phage Therapy, a first-of-its-kind initiative that was started in 2018 to create access and awareness of phage therapy in India. Vitalis has partnered with the Eliava Institute in Tbilisi, Georgia, a 100-year-old world-renowned phage research institute that offers phage therapy to patients across the world through its clinic, the Eliava Phage Therapy Center.
Vitalis has also partnered with one of India’s leading diagnostic lab facilities located in New Delhi for diagnostic testing and phage sensitivity analysis.
Local testing and treatment allow patients to take phage therapy while remaining in India without incurring the extra costs of traveling to Georgia for treatment.
Is Phage Therapy Permitted in India?
The World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki permits the use of treatments such as phage therapy in individual cases where known treatments like antibiotics have failed. Indian Medical Association (IMA) follows these guidelines and allows this treatment in India as personal medicine, called compassionate Phage Therapy (cPT).
Steps for Taking Phage Therapy in India
- Initial consultation – Patient shares his/her past medical reports and case history with Vitalis Phage Therapy. If required, an initial telemedicine consultation with the doctors at Eliava Phage Therapy Center will be arranged.
- Diagnostic testing – Vitalis will set up testing for the patient at our partner lab to identify the bacterial infection and its sensitivity to Eliava’s standard phages. The lab will report the culture growth with antibiotic sensitivity analysis and phage sensitivity analysis to the patient and Vitalis.
- Customized treatment plan – Vitalis will collate the test reports along with the patient’s past medical reports and case history and send the documents to the treating doctor at Eliava Phage Therapy Center. The treating doctor at Eliava Phage Therapy Center will prepare a treatment plan based on these documents and send the phage therapy treatment plan, prescription, and invoice to the patient.
- Shipping the phages – Eliava Phage Therapy Center will dispatch the phage shipment to the patient via courier, along with relevant documents for customs clearance.
- Treatment initiation and follow up – The patient will begin the treatment with the phage medicines received. During the treatment, if the patient would like to consult with the Eliava doctors, a telemedicine consultation can be arranged.
