Shortage of black fungus drug Amphotericin B to be resolved soon, says Centre

Five pharma companies have got new drug approval for producing Amphotericin B. Six companies were already producing the drug against black fungus.

The shortage of Amphotericin B, the drug required to treat mucormycosis, will be resolved soon as the government has given new drug approval to five more companies to produce this drug, Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. "The existing pharma companies have already started ramping up the production. Indian Companies have also placed orders for importing 6 lakh vials of Amphotericin B. We are leaving no stone unturned to smoothen the situation," the minister tweeted as the Centre asked all states and Union territories to make black fungus or mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Act.

A black fungus infected patient at Mucormycosis ward of government ENT hospital in Hyderabad, (PTI)

Mucormycosis: A rare infection being found commonly in Covid patients

Amid the raging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the emergence of mucormycosis, a fungal infection which can affect the eyes and the brain, has thrown a bigger challenge to states as there has been a sudden rise in the number of cases.

At Delhi's AIIMS, the number of mucormycosis cases has surpassed the three-digit mark, head of the neurology department Prof MV Padma Srivastava said on Wednesday.

Make Mucormycosis a notifiable disease under epidemic act, urges Centre

As PM Modi interacted with the health ministers of several states on Thursday, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope told him that at present black fungus the major concern for Maharashtra as the state is gradually recovering from the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic with a steady decline in the positivity. But 90 people have died of mucormycosis in the state, Tope has said. The Delhi government too is setting up dedicated centres for the treatment of black fungus at three government hospitals.

Watch: How to tackle Black Fungus? Dr Faheem Younus answers

Why mucormycosis is being considered as a bigger threat than Covid-19 now

While for the past year, states prepared their healthcare infrastructure to treat Covid-19, the emergence of mucormycosis caught many states unawares as states have been focussing on ramping up Covid-19 treatment so far. Mucormycosis is also not a new infection as experts have said that this infection was reported after 2003's SARS outbreak too. But this time the outbreak has been rapid and Covid-19 treatment is being partially blamed for the surge. use of steroids in Covid-19 cases, when not necessary, is weakening the immune system of the patients, while an unchecked blood sugar level is worsening the situation, experts have said.