Black Fungus Cases: Centre Allocates 23,680 Vials Of Anti-Fungal Drug Amphotericin-B As Concerns Over Shortage Rise

Earlier, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had on Friday said that the supply of drugs needed for the treatment of Black Fungus is becoming a cause for concern.

Doctors perform a Diagnostic Nasal Endoscopy (DNE) on a patient to detect Black Fungus. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: While Black Fungus cases have added to the challenges posed by Covid second wave, the Union government has allocated 23,680 additional vials of treatment drug Amphotericin-B to all States and Union Territories today.

This allocation comes as there were concerns raised over the availability of the anti-fungal drug.

Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, informed on Saturday that a total of 23,680 additional vials of Amphotericin-B have been allocated to all States/UTs. The Allocation has been made based on the total number of patients which is approximately 8,848 across the country.

Earlier, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had on Friday said that the supply of drugs needed for the treatment of Black Fungus is becoming a cause for concern.

"There are over 300 cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus in Pune, including patients from other districts. However, there is a shortage of the anti-fungal drug Amphotericin B. As each patient requires six injections per day, we need 1,800 vials per day. Unfortunately, the supply isn't in keeping with the demand," the deputy chief minister said.

He claimed that the state government had approached pharma companies for procuring the anti-fungal drug but was informed that the Centre has taken control of it.

"During the Prime Minister's interaction with district collectors of the states, the state government sought the drug and also apprised him about the shortage. Hope the situation changes and the drug supply is as per the demand," Pawar said.

Recent reports suggested that hospitals in Rajasthan are also facing an acute shortage of Amphotericin B required for the treatment of black fungus patients.

Maharashtra currently is reported to have the highest number of Black Fungus cases, followed by Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Telangana.