Amid Shortage, Govt Allows 5 More Firms to Make Black Fungus Drug

This development comes while social media is inundated with desperate pleas for the drug.

As reports of Black Fungus (Mucormycosis) infections emerge and social media is inundated with desperate pleas for Amphotericin B, the government has informed that five more companies in India have been allowed to manufacture the drug.

(Photo: PTI)

As reports of Black Fungus (Mucormycosis) infections emerge and social media is inundated with desperate pleas for Amphotericin B, the government has informed that five more companies in India have been allowed to manufacture the drug.

Amphotericin B is an anti-fungal drug frequently credited as a cure to the Black Fungus infection. Various states have been reporting a shortage of the drug.

Minister of State Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday, 20 May, took to Twitter to inform:

“Black Fungus (Mucormycosis) curing drug Amphotericin B’s shortage will be resolved soon! Within three days, five more Pharma companies have got New Drug Approval for producing it in India, in addition to the existing six pharma companies (sic).”   

Mandaviya also tweeted that the existing Pharma companies have already started ramping up production. Further, he said:

“Indian companies have also placed orders for importing 6 lakh vials of Amphotericin B. We are leaving no stone unturned to smoothen the situation.”

PHARMA COMPANIES MANUFACTURING THE DRUGS

The five countries to have received the approval for producing the new drug are:

• Emcure Pharmaceutical
• Nacto Pharma
• Gufic Biosciences Ltd
• Alembic Pharmaceuticals
• Lyca Pharmaceuticals

The existing producing companies, as listed out by Mandaviya are:

• Mylan
• Bharat Serums
• BDR Pharma
• Sun Pharma
• Cipla
• Life Care

CENTRE ASKS STATES TO NOTIFY BLACK FUNGUS AS EPIDEMIC

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry, on Thursday, urged the states to make mucormycosis, commonly known as Black Fungus, a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.

“All government and private health facilities, medical colleges to follow guidelines for screening, diagnosis, management of mucormycosis, issued by MoHFW and ICMR,” the ministry said.

Under the act, all states will have to report all confirmed or suspected cases of this condition, seen in recovering COVID patients, to the health ministry. The infection has been recorded in several parts of the country.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Wednesday, 19 May, released guidelines for early detection and prevention of mucormycosis in the hospital’s COVID Ward.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday informed that as many as 90 people have died of mucormycosis in the state.

Meanwhile, as per PTI, Rajasthan government has declared Black Fungus as an epidemic while other states like Telangana and Tamil Nadu have marked it as a notifiable disease.