Now, mucormycosis drug in short supply in Gujarat

VADODARA: As Covid-19 progresses in the city and district, a series of drugs used to treat it have disappeared from shelves. Now, amphotericin B that is used to treat mucormycosis detected in some Covid-19 patients is in short supply.
Much like remdesivir or tocilizumab, many are desperately searching for vials of amphotericin B for their relatives, friends or persons known to them. And the drug used to treat fungal infections has become evasive.
According to traders, it is the severe mismatch in demand and supply that has led to the situation. They point out that from the limited availability, the government has also kept some stock for its hospitals.
Gujarat State Druggist and Chemist Association president Alpesh Patel said that Vadodara used to get around 1,000 vials of amphotericin B every year. “There are four companies that make it. It is not possible to ramp up production overnight and the number of patients is going up significantly,” said Patel.
He pointed out that a patient needed six vials of the drug every day. “We have around 100 patients of mucormycosis presently. A shortage is obvious,” he said. Patel added that hardly 10% of the stocks of the drug were coming to the market presently, as the remaining were bought by governments.
The injections cost any amount from Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,800 depending on the brand that is available. Much like remdesivir, tocilizumab or itolizumab, desperate people are making calls and posting messages for help on the social media.