ICMR study quantifies higher mortality and costs from carbapenem-resistant infections
An ICMR study published in The Lancet Regional Health–Southeast Asia analysed about 160,000 hospitalised patients (Apr 2022–Apr 2025) across 20 tertiary-care hospitals and found drug-resistant Gram-negative infections had higher mortality, longer hospital stays and higher antibiotic treatment costs than drug-susceptible infections. Among 26,213 infections with E. coli, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa, 61.1% were carbapenem-resistant, with reported mortality and antibiotic costs higher for resistant cases (e.g., resistant E. coli average $420 vs $211 for susceptible).
The findings add India-specific evidence on the clinical and cost burden of antimicrobial resistance, supporting targeted infection control, diagnostics and antibiotic stewardship efforts.