Sci-Tech · 24 Jul 2026

WHO AWaRe classification antibiotics

With reference to the IISc-MS Ramaiah Medical College study on treating oral cancer, consider the following statements:

  1. The method selectively destroys cancer cells by exploiting their reduced levels of a structural protein called Tropomyosin
  2. 1.
  3. The technique works by generating heat that burns cancerous tissue, similar to High Intensity Focused Ultrasound used against prostate tumours.
  4. The study was tested on samples from Stage 4 oral cancer patients using a 3D tumour-mimicking platform.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

AOnly one pair
BOnly two pairs
COnly three pairs
DAll four pairs
This question is based on: IISc's ultrasound breakthrough attacks oral cancer by exploiting what it lacks, not what it has
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About this question

Why in news

A Lancet Public Health study found India's antibiotic consumption is heavily skewed toward "Watch" category drugs, while both first-line "Access" antibiotics and last-resort "Reserve" drugs remain underused relative to the country's actual infection burden.

Why for UPSC

Public health classification frameworks like AWaRe are increasingly tested in GS3 Science & Technology/Public Health, requiring precise recall of category definitions rather than a general sense of "antibiotic overuse."

Prelims summary

WHO's AWaRe framework classifies antibiotics into Access (first-line, safe), Watch (broad-spectrum, reserved) and Reserve (last-resort, MDR-only); India's skew toward Watch drugs reflects a diagnosis-confirmation gap, not just overuse.

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