Apprise Centre of shortage of mucormycosis drugs, HC tells Maharashtra govt

Considering the shortage of medicines in the state for treating mucormycosis, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court (HC) has asked the state government to apprise the Central government about the situation, as there are 669 active cases of the fungal infection in the state and there have been 124 fatalities as sufficient quantity of the medicines were not available to treat the patients

Considering the shortage of medicines in the state for treating mucormycosis, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court (HC) has asked the state government to apprise the Central government about the situation, as there are 669 active cases of the fungal infection in the state and there have been 124 fatalities as sufficient quantity of the medicines were not available to treat the patients.

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A division bench of justice Ravindra Ghuge and justice Balchandra Debadwar, while hearing the suo motu public interest litigation (PIL), based on news reports highlighting issues pertaining to Covid management in Marathwada and North Maharashtra and other Covid related issues including the treatment of mucormycosis patients, was informed that the fungal infection had claimed 124 lives in the region till date.

Government pleader DR Kale for the state submitted that there were 669 mucormycosis patients in Marathwada of which 385 patients had been cured, while 124 succumbed as there was a shortage of the Amphotericin B drug which is used to treat the fungal infection. The court was also informed that while there was a requirement of 50,178 vials of Amphotericin B to treat active patients only 13,428 vials were supplied to the Marathwada region.

Amicus curiae Satyajeet Bora, appointed to assist the court submitted that patients in Marathwada were being undertreated as they were being administered only one-two injections per day as against the requirement of four-five vials per patient per day. He informed the bench that there was a shortage of 70% of the required quantity of the drug.

Additional solicitor General Anil Singh for the Central government informed the bench that between May 11 and 31, the Centre had 2.7 lakh vials of Amphotericin B out of which 68,660 were allocated to Maharashtra. He said that the vials were dispatched to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat as cases were relatively higher than other states.

Singh then added that while companies manufacturing the drug had been asked to ramp up production, Haffkine Institute in Mumbai, a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad and six more privately-owned companies had been granted a license to manufacture the drug to overcome the shortage. He added that as the manufacturing process took 20-25 days the centre expected a supply of over two lakh vials for the month of June. Singh also assured the bench that alternative drugs which can improve patients’ condition are also being sought to be included in the treatment for mucormycosis.

In light of the shortage and the submissions by the Centre, the bench noted that the state had no option but to apprise the Centre seeking additional allocation of the drug. “We find Maharashtra will have to apprise the Union of India as regards to a growing number of mucormycosis patients and especially highlight the fact that in some parts of the state as like in Marathwada region, patients are dying due to shortage in the quantity of Amphotericin B. As patients are being administered inadequate doses, the mortality rate is quite high,” noted the bench in its order.

Directing the state to provide details of the number of mucormycosis patients and recovered, number of deaths due to the infection along with number of Amphotericin B vials between June 2 and 9, the bench posted hearing of the PIL to June 10.